Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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23. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the redevelopment of Dalymount Park; and the timeline and funds allocated. [27428/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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In January of this year, provisional allocations totalling €77.4m for 25 projects under Stream 2 (construction) of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) were announced. On 13th January additional provisional allocations of €5m for a further 7 projects under Stream 1 (design) of the LSSIF were announced. The Stream 1 allocations included an allocation of €918,750 to Dublin City Council towards the overall design cost (estimated at €2,450,000) for the redevelopment of Dalymount Park.

The evaluation procedures and guidelines for the LSSIF provide that once provisional allocations are announced, the projects being suggested for funding undergo a further process of due diligence. This process includes a further review of projects including economic appraisals and feasibility studies as appropriate to comply with the Public Spending Code and EU State Aid rules. This has now been completed for the Dalymount project.

As the LSSIF is a new scheme with the first grants only announced this year, it has been necessary to agree an appropriate funding agreement which will protect the state investment, adhere to Public Spending Code requirements and provide clarity in relation to the respective responsibilities to ensure that projects are completed. This has involved extensive engagement with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office. I understand that work in this regard is nearing completion  and it is expected that the Department will be in a position to forward a funding agreement for signature to Dublin City Council in the near future.