Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to the House. I call on Senator Shane Cassells and he has four minutes. Go raibh maith agat.

Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for taking this Commencement matter in respect of the development of Casement Park in Belfast. Indeed, Senator Micheál Carrigy and I have just come from the Oireachtas sports committee where we launched a report on inclusion in sport.One of the first recommendations in the report in respect of our work concerns the need for the methodology for assessing proposals for State support in the hosting of major sports events to consider inclusion in sport, but nothing could result in better inclusion in sport than the development of Casement Park as a symbol of unifying areas in Northern Ireland and the bringing together of different sports codes and cultural beliefs. In that respect, the statement by the Taoiseach last week in Belfast to pledge Irish Government support of €50 million was extremely welcome. It generated a great sense of confidence in the GAA, the owner of the grounds, but also in the IFA, the sponsoring body of the UEFA tournament in Northern Ireland.

We have seen the positive work on clearing the site in the past week, and it will continue until April. After a decade of weeds growing up, we have now seen great movement. Unfortunately, there was negativity straight away, particularly from those in the Democratic Unionist Party, who sought to pour cold water on the initiative. Jeffrey Donaldson stated the Irish Government's contribution did not fill the gaping hole in funds that was required to be filled. Furthermore, DUP MP Jim Shannon said money should be diverted elsewhere and said at a meeting of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that the cost of the stadium had, in his opinion, risen to €257 million. I welcome the fact that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, said at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee meeting that he had not yet got a costing. He stressed the importance of the massive economic and social gains to be derived from the development of Casement Park. Then, unfortunately, he went on to compare, somehow, the cock-up that is the HS2 rail line in England to Casement Park, stating the British Government has demonstrated in what it is done with HS2 that if something becomes way too expensive, things have to change. The cock-up in England is a £36 billion cock-up. What we are seeking as an island is the honouring of the commitment by the very same Secretary of State, given last year, to the effect that if Casement Park were successful as part of the joint bid between Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales in respect of the UEFA Championships, the UK Government would not be found wanting in supporting it. It is time for it to step up. Things are getting serious. UEFA is in town today and tomorrow in Belfast meeting the IFA in respect of this.

It is quite worrying that the Belfast Telegraphreported this morning that UEFA is aware of the opposition to Northern Ireland playing in Casement Park but that it would like to stage the tournament in Northern Ireland as part of the joint bid. That said, if it feels that Belfast will not deliver by the summer, it will move on. That is the seriousness of what we face. Using Casement Park would be a huge gain for the entire island of Ireland, as demonstrated by the Irish Government. The grounds are entitled to the moneys promised, just like Windsor Park and Ravenhill Stadium. I ask that we proceed not only through our financial contribution but stress to the UK Government the need for it to act to ensure the stadium is built.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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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.

Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the fact that today and tomorrow the First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, and the Deputy First Minister of the Executive will meet with the Irish Football Association and UEFA to stress the importance of this for Belfast. Yet, my fear is that the DUP is using the funding of Casement Park as a political football on a football field. This is because it is getting involved is saying “No more”. Its favourite word is “No”. It is saying there should be no more funding for Casement Park or the GAA.

Why has the cost gone from £77 million to £200 million in sterling? The answer is very simple. The newly elected GAA president, Jarlath Burns, pointed out yesterday on “Drivetime” that it has gone up because UEFA demands a certain spec for a stadium. As a result, the cost has gone up in tandem with what UEFA demands. The British Government pledged that it would not be found wanting if this ground was selected for a European soccer tournament. It has been selected. I am asking now for the Government to put pressure on the Northern Ireland Secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, to deliver on what he said last year, which was that he would find that funding gap. It is imperative that we do that.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for making the point so forcefully. It is extremely important now that the Executive is back up and running that our commitments are matched. The Irish Government has not been found wanting in that regard. It is meeting a longstanding commitment in this regard and indeed through other forms of investment on the island for the benefit of everybody. The Irish Government has never been found wanting in its commitment to the restoration of the power-sharing Executive and the operation thereof. That is very clear from the announcement that was made last week. We will continue to work both quietly and publicly on all these matters. It is so important that we have the opportunity to discuss this here today.

The range of funding allocations that were announced last week affirm the Government's commitment to work with the new Executive and the UK Government on cross-Border investments to make the whole island a better place to live. The funding that has been announced for Casement Park is entirely additional to the two main sports capital funding streams that come under the remit of the Department of sport, namely, the sports capital and equipment programme and the large-scale sports infrastructure fund. Senators are very well aware of the details of those and indeed work on many projects in their own constituencies in relation to that. As I mentioned, the allocation that was announced last week in respect of Casement Park was deliberately done to maximise the opportunity 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 Ireland and Great Britain. I personally think that is hugely important.