Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I thank Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue for discussion. I am sorry I have to raise it. I also thank the Minister of State for coming to the House on a Thursday evening. As I said, I am sorry I have to raise this issue.

Stamullen Football Club is located in Stamullen, County Meath. It has 20 teams, 320 players and 750 members. It is a very busy, active and successful club. It has academy and senior teams, boys' and girls' teams, and men’s and women’s teams. It also has an after-school academy tied in with the local primary school. However, the club finds itself homeless. It does not have its usual playing facility for the season ahead. The arrangement it had in place, a rental agreement with Gormanston Park, has been terminated. This is a sore point because Gormanston Park uses the facility of the former Gormanston College, a long-time Franciscan private school with grounds. It received significant State funding over the years and Gormanston College will receive significant State funding in the time ahead for a new education campus. However, the contract for use of the green fields and playing pitches that had been rented from this new entity, Gormanston Park, for some years has been terminated based on a commercial decision. Gormanston Park sees its future elsewhere.

This is hugely frustrating for Stamullen FC, which finds itself homeless this year. The nature of that rental agreement and the obvious intention of Gormanston Park have placed it in a precarious position every year. The club has sought support from elected representatives, the local authority, local landowners, developers and other clubs in the area, many of which also face severe restrictions in terms of access to playing facilities. It has also engaged with the Department of Defence through the Gormanston Army camp. It is now entirely dependent on St. Patrick’s GAA Club in the Stamullen area and Cloghertown United, which is based in Clonalvy, some distance away. I commend both St. Pat’s and Clonalvy on the solidarity and support they have shown Stamullen FC in its hour of need.

An unforgivable situation has been allowed to arise, however. I point to the responsibility of authorities for proper planning and sustainable development.

A census report was published recently. The population of the electoral district of Stamullen is 5,500, which is up 10% from 2016. It is a young and growing population. Volunteers are giving their time and putting effort into growing the club but they have hit brick wall after brick wall when they have tried to secure a plot of land on which the club can train and play its matches. I am looking to the Minister of State for his support and advice on the matter.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue. I wish to reiterate the commitment of the Government to investment in sport infrastructure across the country. If we are to achieve our ambitious targets for sports participation, we need to have the necessary facilities.

As regards the responsibilities of my Department, two schemes provide grant assistance for the development of sports infrastructure, including local authority-owned pitches. The sports capital and equipment programme is the primary vehicle for Government support for the improvement of sports facilities. More than 13,000 projects have benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to more than €1.15 billion. The programme for Government commits to continuing the programme and prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas. The 2020 round of the programme closed for applications last year, with a record 3,106 applications having been submitted. The final set of allocations was announced on Tuesday, 31 May. The total funding allocated under that round was over €166.6 million. This represents a record level of allocation, considerably higher than the amount provided under any recent round. The total funding allocated to projects in County Meath alone exceeded €6.8 million.

Although the programme funds a broad range of projects, it should be noted that it does not fund the purchase of land or buildings. All clubs are entitled to apply directly for funding and, in cases where a club does not own a premises, it is still permissible for that club to apply for equipment-only grants or capital grants up to a value of €50,000. I am aware that Stamullen FC was allocated funding for equipment only under the latest round. The programme is also open to applications from local authorities. Such applications may include proposals to develop sports facilities on behalf of local sports clubs. Further detail in this regard can be found on the Department's website.

Funding is also provided by my Department under the large-scale sports infrastructure fund, which is designed for projects where the grant sought is greater than the maximum available under the sports capital programme. It was launched in 2018 and €86.4 million has been allocated to 33 different proposals. There have been many applications in County Meath, including Páirc Tailteann in Navan and linear walkways and playing fields in Dunboyne, that are being led by Meath County Council. We are completing a review of that process.

As regards other assistance that may be of interest, a separate tax relief scheme for donations may be used by any sports club to assist in funding for the acquisition of land or a building, developing sports facilities or repaying a loan for these purposes. More information on this can be found on the website of the Revenue Commissioners.

I assure the Deputy that any future applications under the programme from the club or from Meath County Council on its behalf will receive full consideration, in line with the terms and conditions of the programme. In this regard, my Department has now commenced a full review of all aspects of the 2020 round and any recommendations arising will be reflected in the terms and conditions of the next round.

Obviously, we are open to providing assistance through the funding structures we have. I accept there is a lacuna and a vacuum in Stamullen which the Deputy referenced. It is a fair point. Participation cannot happen without land. I know there have been recent press releases on the issue and articles in the Meath Chronicle have been outlined it in the context of appealing to the local authority. Meath is a proud sporting county that invests in its facilities through the local authority. There is an obligation on the local authority, at least, to work with the club and local community to identify what land could be available, with a view to then availing of the significant funding opportunities that will be available. That is the direct means in terms of land acquisition. Obviously, we try to fund the capital infrastructure, but there is no precedent for us to purchase land.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. He has put his finger on it in terms of the gap that exists. I am sure there are communities in his constituency that are similar to this one. There was significant residential development during the Celtic tiger. Anew county development plan for County Meath went though the High Court and has just been adopted. It significantly caps the amount of residential development in Stamullen. The previous model, which was not a successful one, was a developer-led model that involved delivering facilities for the community in line with significant residential development. That is not going to deliver for this community. The option is not there. They have gone everywhere to try to find it.

Stamullen and similar areas need a vehicle that can, on behalf of the State, acquire lands for public use. Municipal parks are a foreign land for us in County Meath. They do not exist there in the way that they do in other places. Meath County Council does not have a parks department. The local community in Stamullen, as well as those in several other urban centres in the county, have been affected by this. There have been campaigns for a public park, a playground and a skate park. The local scouts do not have a den. These are infrastructural deficits.

I very much welcome the fact that the Minister of State is encouraging the local authority to come to the table. I ask him to point towards the type of funding streams available to the local authority along with his Department.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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One thing we are trying to encourage through the sports capital and equipment programme is to have local authority-led municipal sports facilities. We have had many examples of local authorities leading out on that, including Meath County Council. It is commencing work in Dunboyne, for example. There have been projects across the country where local authorities are partnering with a multiplicity of clubs to develop parks in combination with sporting aspects. My Department is a willing partner when it comes to the capital infrastructure side of that.

When it comes to the facet in respect of land and land acquisition, that is primarily the responsibility of the local authority. It has responsibility in terms of community development, housing and managing development plans, as the Deputy stated. I encourage Meath County Council to come together with the local sports club, or even with multiple sports clubs, to see what land is available in the broader Stamullen area and then look at the funding opportunities that will arise. Those are the types of projects that yield the best participation, build better facilities and have a much better municipal benefit for everybody. I encourage all parties to progress that in the interests of young people whom I know want better facilities in their local community. I appreciate the Deputy raising the issue.