Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Cassells for raising this important matter. The return of the power-sharing Executive is very important for the people of Northern Ireland and has brought renewed hope regarding what we believe is achievable through the Good Friday Agreement. Last Tuesday, the Government agreed a range of funding allocations worth more than €800 million to affirm our commitment to work with the new Executive and UK Government to make cross-Border investments that will make the island of Ireland a better place to live for all who call it home. This is evidence of our commitment to strand 2 of the Good Friday Agreement, on North–South co-operation, and is the largest-ever package of Government funding for cross-Border investments.

The Government's funding commitments also reflect years of co-operation and partnership by successive British and Irish Governments, and with the Northern Ireland Executive and Departments. As part of this wider set of commitments, the Government announced a €50 million package through the shared island fund to contribute to the construction of a redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast. The allocation will contribute to the realisation of a long-planned sports infrastructure project for Gaelic games.In the more immediate term, it will maximise the opportunity, as the Senator has said, of the joint hosting by Ireland and the United Kingdom of the Euro 2028 championship, to see matches being played in Northern Ireland, as well as in Ireland and Great Britain. This is both a North-South and an east-west project. It is the Government's wish for the grounds to be made available for a wide range of sporting and cultural events.

The Government has now confirmed a funding commitment with a view to seeing the redevelopment completed in time for the Euro 2028 tournament, which the Senator has suggested is so important. Sport is enormously important to redeveloping society and bringing society closer together. It has a huge capacity to bring people together. There is the opportunity to see Euro 2028 matches being played in a Gaelic games stadium in Northern Ireland, which has been completed with funding contributions from the Irish Government, the British Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the GAA. The project is owned and managed by the Gaelic Athletic Association’s Ulster Council in co-operation with the Northern Ireland authorities, which are working to bring together an overall funding package once the costs are finalised to deliver the redeveloped stadium.

The programming of the Government's funding contribution will be agreed upon by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media with the GAA and progressed in co-operation with Northern Ireland and UK counterparts. Consistent with the Government's policy on funding for large-scale sports infrastructure, principles for the funding of the project will be agreed so that it is accessible, will benefit a wide range of sports and will be operated to facilitate equality, diversity and inclusion in sport, including supporting cross-community relationships in Northern Ireland and across the island.