James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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75. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps her Department is taking to address the rising energy costs faced by sports clubs across the country. [8572/23]

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to ask about supports required for our many sporting clubs and organisations across the country. The Minister of State will be aware that energy costs have huge implications for sporting clubs in Ireland because with the increased energy costs, there have been consequences for activities such as, for example, games played under lighting and ongoing energy cost maintenance. There has been a huge increase in this area. Does the Government have a plan to provide further supports? We heard this was an issue at the GAA annual congress that took place at the weekend. It is impacting major sporting organisations. I ask what supports the Government may provide in this regard.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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As part of budget 2023, a funding package of €35 million was made available to help alleviate the impact of increased energy costs for sports clubs and organisations, with a view to ensuring that everybody could continue to enjoy the benefits of sport and physical activity over the winter months. In doing so, the Government acknowledged that increased energy costs are a major concern for sporting organisations and sporting facilities, particularly during the winter months when there is increased demand for indoor facilities with heating and lighting costs, as well as floodlit outdoor facilities such as playing areas, hurling walls and walking tracks, etc. Notwithstanding that all sporting activity has fully resumed, many sporting clubs and organisations continue to feel the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, not just in financial terms, but also with reduced membership and volunteer numbers. Reduced rates of participation in sport and physical activity will impact the physical and mental well-being of the nation, both in the short and long term, which is something we wish to avoid.

The sports energy support scheme, SESS, was launched by Sport Ireland in November 2022 to support sporting organisations with the rising energy costs associated with the provision of sport, for example, around increased indoor activity and the provision of outdoor flood lighting, with a particular emphasis on sports clubs with dedicated facilities. To date, €21 million has been allocated to support sporting organisations with the rising energy costs associated with the provision of sport. The funding is in the main being distributed through the national governing bodies of sport, in like manner to the suite of Covid-19 supports provided to the sports sector over the past two years. Officials from the Department are working with Sport Ireland to ensure the allocation of the remaining funding as soon as possible. It should also be noted that the Department strives to improve environmental performance through energy efficiency supports in its capital funding schemes. Currently, the sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, funds a range of green measures, including modifications to sports facilities to reduce energy consumption and restricts funding for flood lighting to light-emitting diode, LED, floodlights. Under the most recent sports capital round opened in 2022, €15.4 million was allocated to 166 applications which featured green measures such as LED flood lighting, solar and photovoltaic, PV, panels.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I sincerely thank the Minister of State for the information provided. I also thank the Government for what has been done in this year's budget. It was very well received and the Minister of State referred to a point I was going to make about the dropping level of participation by many people when it comes to fundraising in club activities and volunteering activities. This is causing huge knock-on consequences for sporting clubs around the country. I hope that, post Covid-19, this will be addressed in the medium term as if not, there will be long-term complications for sporting organisations nationwide. Declining energy costs are not happening. While they have come down from the peak, it is a concern and the I would argue that many energy companies in Ireland have the cheek to sponsor sporting clubs and organisations while not passing on the market price for electricity. The cheaper rates have not been passed on. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing, massive concern for clubs of a small and large scale. I ask that the Minister of State give this issue his full attention. I wish him success in his new role. I am sure he will play a blinder.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I agree with him about volunteer numbers and participation rates. We are concerned about volunteer participation. The Government cannot mandate people to volunteer or make a law to make people volunteer but we can create the environment to ensure volunteers and clubs are supported in the best possible way. That can happen through the sports capital programme and through the type of energy supports made available as a crisis alleviation measure late last year when energy prices spiked and we acknowledged the struggles clubs had.

It makes it very difficult for clubs and organisations to survive. We know this. We saw some of the funding Sport Ireland provided before Christmas. For example, the GAA received €11.73 million while organisations such as the Irish Amateur Boxing Association received €171,500 and Athletics Ireland received €180,000. We also want long-term energy efficiency measures.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate and acknowledge this. It is an ongoing concern. I want to hammer home the point that Oireachtas Members should acknowledge and let the energy companies in this country know that we are aware there is not a fair price being charged for electricity. It is something we have to look at. Many people are suffering as a consequence. This is just one example. It is an important example because it affects communities rather than individual households. If the companies are paying hand over fist to sponsor organisations and then charging them eye-watering sums of money for their electricity bills, it says a lot about good sportsmanship and how they do their business. I am concerned about it. What is going on is wrong with the retail market price not being given to households, sporting organisations or businesses. I will say this much: I have never got so much in the ear from people than about this and they are right. I understand their frustration and concern. This will be an ongoing problem for the Department. I am glad about the resources that have been allocated but I hope we see more later in the year.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I am very glad Deputy O'Connor has added his voice to the pressure that is now on energy companies to reduce their prices. Energy prices went up in an understandable way because of the Russian war on Ukraine. The Government has responded to this through supports for sports organisations and for households. People should not forget that we have also introduced windfall measures through the European Union. That will take back some of the extraordinary profits being made by energy companies and producers and give them back to the people. Obviously what is more relevant to the people at the end of the day is that there is a lower price on their bills. How we can help people get lower prices is to upgrade their homes, in most cases, and in this case upgrade the sports facilities to see whether we can get a reduction in energy usage. Sports clubs are rising to this challenge through the sports capital programme, their own fundraising and other measures the Department has introduced.