Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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72. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 55 of 17 November 2022, if she will provide a further update on the status of a facility (details supplied); the interaction she has had with an organisation and Cork city in this regard; the status of the grant money allocated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8590/23]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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My question is on the FAI centre of excellence in Glanmire. I am seeking an update on it. In 2016, I was a councillor involved in the Part 8 planning process for the centre. We were delighted when a funding stream for it was identified. Unfortunately, every time I drive past the field, I see a complete lack of progress on the project.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his ongoing support and representations on the football centre of excellence for Munster in Glanmire. The work he has done as a councillor and in the Dáil has been important to the project.

The large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF, was launched in 2018 to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, with at least €100 million made available over the period to 2027. The FAI, with the support of Cork County Council, of which the Deputy is a former member, submitted an application under the LSSIF for construction funding for phase 1 of the Munster Football Centre of Excellence in Glanmire. The first allocations under the LSSIF were announced in January 2020 and included an allocation of €2,025,699 for the Glanmire project. Details of all of the projects are on the Department's website.

The grant for the Glanmire project was provisionally awarded to cover, among other matters, the development of grass pitches, floodlighting, an artificial pitch and dressing rooms. Advancing the project is a matter for the grantees - Cork County Council and the FAI - in the first instance. However, the Department has been engaging with all grantees in recent months as part of an ongoing review of, and following up on, all LSSIF projects. The FAI confirmed it is committed to developing the Munster Centre of Excellence and I understand that an extension to the planning permission for the project was approved by Cork County Council. Furthermore, the FAI has informed my Department that the organisation is continuing to engage with the relevant football stakeholders, including Cork City FC and the Munster Football Association, to agree how best to progress matters in view of current estimated costs and the financial projections associated with the project. I understand that the purpose of these discussions is to ensure delivery of phase 1 of the overall project in as timely a manner as possible.

From the Department's perspective and mine, the grant allocation is fully in place and I look forward to seeing the project advance further in the months ahead, to the Department writing the cheque and to the money being spent. It is there waiting for the FAI and Cork County Council. We will do what we can on our side to expedite matters.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. I do not want to go into the detail of any organisation's finances, but it is well documented and known that the FAI would have difficulty coming up with a funding stream to match the funding provided by the Government.

I believe this project was initially floated in 2016. Funding was approved in 2020. That is a significant period and planning permission has already been extended once. It cannot be extended a second time. My understanding is that there are two or two and a half years left in the existing planning permission. The clock is ticking, but there has been little progress in getting the project back on the road towards delivery.

The Minister of State outlined that this would not only be significant for Cork city, but also for Munster, schools soccer, the Cork Athletic Union League, the Cork Munster senior league and so on. Will the Minister of State intervene and attend a meeting with the FAI and other stakeholders in the coming months?

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I would be more than happy to attend any meeting on this matter. The Government has allocated more than €2 million to this project, and that money is still there. I understand the issues the Deputy has raised and his commitment to the project. This weekend, I will be attending the President's Cup match in ladies soccer. I am sure I will bump into officials from the FAI at that. I am looking forward to the match. It is the first ever cup winner's cup in ladies soccer in the League of Ireland. I will raise this specific issue with League of Ireland officials, who I meet regularly anyway. I will outline the Deputy's concerns as well as the Government's commitment to the grant that we have awarded. I will engage in whatever way I can with the Deputy, the FAI and Cork County Council. This is an important project and will have great benefits for soccer in Munster.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for committing to a meeting. I hope he will be able to arrange it in the coming months.

Regarding the LSSIF in general, the Minister of State mentioned that €100 million had been allocated in 2020. If he does not have the figures in response to my questions, he might provide them afterwards. Of the €100 million allocation, how much has been drawn down in the past two years or so? Will the Minister of State provide me with the details now or in the coming days?

What exactly was outlined for the Glanmire project initially? In phase 1, the amount was approximately €2 million. Does the Minister of State have the breakdown of the subsequent phases?

That the Minister of State has agreed to a meeting is welcome, but all of the stakeholders – the FAI, Cork City Council and the new owners – want to see the project progress. Even if it does not progress as initially envisaged, it is still a large development – three full-sized grass pitches, a full-sized astroturf pitch, smaller games areas, bespoke training areas for goalkeepers, a pavilion, a car park, etc. It was a large project. If it is not to be delivered as initially envisaged, we would appreciate the Minister of State meeting to try to get it back to some sort of scale.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have to hand the figures on the percentage of the fund that has been drawn down, but I can think of one project in my constituency where part of it is almost complete.

Regarding phase 1, the original cost estimate was €3,858,473 and the Government awarded €2,025,699, so by any standard, the Government grant was a significant allocation towards the original cost estimates. I acknowledge that it is highly likely that costs have increased since then, but that grant is still available. The Deputy might contact my office, or I can get in touch with him, to set up a meeting. It is important that this project go ahead. Not only will it be of benefit to football in Cork and Munster more widely, but also to the community in Glanmire.

The Government – the Deputy is a Government Member – is committed to this project and we have given an award that represents a significant percentage of the cost. I will work with anyone to see how we can progress the project in other ways.