Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. I want to discuss the need for a state-of-the-art sports complex in the park beside the Alfie Byrne Road. I hope this is not seen as a politician asking for a specific request for his constituency because technically this is outside my constituency. The park serves an enormous number of people in the constituencies of Dublin Central and Dublin North West and throughout north Dublin.

The pitch is in a sorry state of repair and has been for the best part of 20 years. Yet every weekend more than 400 young people and older people go to engage in sport, predominantly football, on that pitch by the Alfie Byrne Road. Several teams operate there and Belvedere Football Club and Eastwall Bessborough Football Club have framed an extraordinary vision for what the site could be. At present a person with a disability cannot get a wheelchair up to the pitch. There have been occasions in recent months when a person has been asked not to go to see a loved one play football. This can no longer be the case.

Daniel Ennis of Eastwall Bessborough has created a vision for a multipurpose sporting site in the park. Some private funding has been sourced by the club and it is looking for backing from Dublin City Council, which has given some support. It is also looking for support from the State to back a sporting complex in the park that would suit the needs of the Eastwall Bessborough and Belvedere football clubs. Belvedere has a long and distinguished history. It is paying exorbitant fees on various pitches. It will not be able to sustain this.

Most importantly, the clubs have asked for a sporting complex to suit the needs of children in the surrounding communities of East Wall, North Strand and other areas who have neurodivergent needs and other additional needs. There are very few play facilities. The clubs are looking at what this site could be, which is an asset for the wider community and the surrounding north Dublin area where there is a dearth of 11-a-side pitches and large green spaces. They are asking whether this could be a space for a sporting complex suited to the needs of two great clubs and, most importantly, suited to the needs of the area. It would have a sports complex, with everything the local communities could need including grass pitches and changing rooms, which are not there at present. Recently there have been unfortunate incidents when under-15 girls' teams could not use the pitch because there was no supporting complex. This is an incredible shame.

There are other groups in the East Wall area, such as the Side By Side parenting group which comes together to share space with their children who have neurodivergent or additional needs, who do not have anywhere to go. I have visited them on many weekends in East Wall. We sit on concrete while adults and children play together. They see this proposal as a means by which they could combat and alleviate all of this and provide solutions. There are a lot of good things happening in the north inner city but leaders such as the parents who come together in groups such as Side By Side and in football clubs such as Belvedere, which have long and distinguished traditions of contributing to the lives of young and old people, say this could be a space where they could create a future. It is remarkable proposal.

I would be happy to send the details of the proposal to the office of the Minister of State. I know it is not his specific responsibility but he is representing the Government today. There is momentum building but I would like to see that momentum from the State, which talks about investment in the north inner city. This is a very clear and tangible goal. If we work on it together it would have huge benefits for the north side of the city. I look forward to hearing the response of the Minister of State.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I thank Deputy Gannon for tabling the issue. It is very important. Fantastic work is going on in football clubs throughout the country. The inclusion aspect is significant and I know this from the local football club in Kilkenny. Any decision, particularly with regard to the leasing of property by Dublin City Council, is entirely a matter for the local authority in the first instance. With regard to Government support for new sport facilities, the sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, as administered by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. More than 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocation in that time to more than €1.15 billion.

We can all agree that the SCEP has transformed the sporting landscape with improved sports facilities in every town and village in the country. The programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to targeting the investment in disadvantaged areas. I have the figures for Alfie Byrne Park and I will provide them to Deputy Gannon after we conclude the debate. As well as being open to individual sports clubs, applications are also accepted from local authorities. I understand that Dublin City Council has previously received significant grant funding for sports facilities projects in the vicinity of Alfie Byrne Road, including all-weather pitches used by the clubs in question.

Belvedere Football Club also received grant allocation for sports equipment under the programme. With regard to larger projects, the 2018 national sports policy provided for the establishment of a new large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. The first LSSIF allocations were announced in January 2020 and, to date, approximately €86.4 million has been allocated to 33 projects, including a number of local authority-led projects.

In relation to capital assistance towards a new sports facility at Alfie Byrne Park, it will be open to Dublin City Council to make a future application under either the sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, or the LSSIF. If the clubs referred to by the Deputy secure a lease on the property, it will be open to them to apply directly for SCEP funding. Any application will be considered on its merits, based on the relevant scoring system for the relevant round of the SCEP or LSSIF. As the Deputy will be aware, the schemes favour projects that will increase participation and share facilities among a number of sports and-or clubs, and priority is always given to applications from disadvantaged areas.

With regard to the timing of the next round of the SCEP, I know a full review of the 2020 round of the SCEP was published last week and the recommendations arising from the review will be reflected in the next round of the programme. I understand the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is now working on drafting the new “Guide to Making an Application” for the SCEP and engagement is ongoing with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in relation to opening the next cycle of the SCEP.

In regard to the LSSIF, the first allocations were announced by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media just prior to the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic obviously gave rise to significant financial challenges for all grantees, with many of them having to reprioritise their own expenditure plans. In more recent times, the high level of construction inflation has also presented considerable challenges for grantees. In view of these issues, it was considered timely to review progress on all projects and I understand meetings with all grantees have taken place. It is encouraging that, based on these discussions with grantees, it is estimated that more than half of the 33 projects should be in a position to draw down funding this year. While this progress is welcome, these discussions also confirm that some projects in receipt of LSSIF grants may not proceed in the short to medium term.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response, in particular in regard to Alfie Byrne Park. It is not a place that many people in the city are aware of as it is somewhat out of the way, just off the North Strand, between Clontarf and East Wall. However, it is a place of massive opportunity. What it requires, which is why I am raising it in the House today, is leadership from all arms of the State. Dublin City Council has only now started to demonstrate an enthusiasm for this plan. I think it requires Dublin City Council and the State to come in and back that ambition.

Where we are seeing ambition for that site and for the wider community is from the local club members themselves, in particular people like Daniel Ennis and Vincent Butler, who have contributed massively to the northside of Dublin, Vincent for over four decades, and Daniel is starting to catch up, although a much younger man. What they are doing shows a lot of heart. They gain no advantage from this, other than to contribute to this community. They have identified needs. They have focused on the football but not necessarily from the glory aspect of it, and they are working with kids at all levels and from all age groups and genders. They have made massive strides in terms of welcoming the new communities that we have seen in East Wall. They are really passionate about that area but they need the infrastructure to match the ambition they are displaying.

That is why I am proud to bring their proposal to the Minister of State today and very glad to hear the substance of his contribution. I hope he will continue to engage with the Government on that. East Wall, North Strand and the surrounding areas are places with massive heart. If they can provide sports, as they have been doing in quite difficult circumstances, and if we can invest in these sports complexes, we can enhance that area substantially. There is a dearth of infrastructure and the plan we have, in particular for children with additional needs, would make a massive difference. As he is a member of Government, I urge the Minister of State to take this plan and bring it forward. I thank him for his contribution.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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From what the Deputy has described, I would say the work is very important and valuable to the communities, particularly to disadvantaged new communities. This is investment well spent in the context of any Government expenditure to support fantastic clubs like this.

With regard to the LSSIF, there is ongoing engagement between the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media on the next LSSIF round and looking at the learning experiences from some of the projects that were grantees in the previous round and perhaps were not able to draw that down. Once these discussions are concluded, it is my understanding that an announcement will be made in respect of any new round of the LSSIF and a new call for proposals under the SCEP. I am assured by the Department that it will be happy to consider any applications either directly from Dublin City Council or if a lease arrangement can be secured over time. Again, I can give the Deputy the information when we have concluded.

Dublin City Council has been successful with a number of grants for Alfie Byrne Road in 2007 and 2008 and also in 2014, so a significant element of funding has already been put into the community there. In 2015, it also received another round of SCEP funding of €104,004 for pitch improvements in Fairview Park. Belvedere Football Club received an equipment grant of €30,000 and East Wall had not previously applied for SCEP funding. Again, we would urge all parties to engage in the process, look for the grant rounds when they come out, apply for them and be proactive. Given the work the Deputy has described, they are doing very important work. I thank the Deputy.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Minister of State and the Deputies for dealing with those matters. The next business was scheduled to begin at 5.52 p.m. so we are way ahead of schedule. To give the Minister the opportunity to arrive, I suggest that we suspend for five minutes.