Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I advocate for a State-wide sports facility strategy. Over the past two decades more than €1 billion has been invested in sports facilities through various programmes such as the sports capital programme, the local swimming pool programmes, the large-scale infrastructure fund and separate individual programmes for major sports projects. Despite the large amount of money committed there remains no State-wide strategy for the expansion of sports facilities. The Government provided a capital allocation of at least €100 million over the period of 2018 to 2027 for the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, of which €86 million has already been allocated to 33 projects. Because of Covid and the sharp rise in inflation projects have been slow to begin. As of last June, only four of the 33 projects have received funding from the Department at a total of €3.1 million. There is obviously demand from the national governing bodies for a new round of large-scale infrastructure funding to be opened. In Sinn Féin's alternative budget we proposed an additional €10 million to the large-scale investment fund to open a new round of fresh applications for those seeking additional allocations due to the rise in costs.

I am a League of Ireland fan. League of Ireland attendances are higher than they have been in probably all of our lifetimes. Not since the introduction of television into Ireland have League of Ireland attendances been so high. We need to see movement on Dalymount Park, Finn Harps, Sligo Rovers and Richmond Park. There are probably others I am forgetting.

I also mention the sports capital equipment programme, which is the State's primary vehicle for supporting the development of smaller sports facilities and purchasing non-personal sports equipment. It has benefited a lot of clubs, but many in the community have been calling for long overdue reform of that programme. I know there is a sense out there that the review published by the Department earlier this year has failed to address some of the main concerns. It does not give any additional scoring weight to multi-sport facilities.Clubs feel there is a disadvantage when they are part of a multisport club or centre when the same funding is available to one sporting club or one that hosts six or seven sports. The Minister of State has responded to Commencement matters here previously stating he believes that is the way forward and that multisport facilities represent the future. Tallaght Stadium, funded by South Dublin County Council, hosts many sports. It may not host GAA games, but it hosts many sports.