Written answers

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Photo of Thomas GouldThomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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70. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if funding will be provided to sporting organisations and other similar organisations to assist them in meeting fixed costs such as rent which have remained despite closure. [21936/21]

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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A Covid-19 funding package of €85 million was provided last year to support the sport sector. This significant investment benefited all levels of the sport sector, including thousands of grassroots clubs across the country, and provided some certainty for sporting organisations in their planning for 2021.

Covid-19 has also had a profound impact on Ireland's sport and leisure sector and €3.2 million was provided in 2020 in recognition of the particular challenges faced by swimming pool operators.  

I fully recognise that the financial and operational challenges associated with Covid-19 will continue well into this year and many sporting organisations and clubs are facing financial challenges again this year. 

Last week, Sport Ireland announced the allocation of €40 million in funding to support sport at all levels, through its annual grant funding schemes for National Governing Bodies, Local Sports Partnerships and high performance athletes. 

Additional funding of €26 million was allocated for Sport Ireland in Budget 2021 which will ensure that we can continue to support our valued sport sector.  This includes funding to provide for supports to the sector to meet the ongoing challenges of Covid-19. Decisions in relation to how this funding will be allocated and the criteria to be applied will be made by Sport Ireland in the coming months as the financial position of the sector becomes clearer.

Sport Ireland is in ongoing communication with NGBs and is assessing the financial needs of the sector for this year.  In addition, I am engaging with NGBs both bilaterally and through the Covid-19 Sports Monitoring Group, which met most recently on 9 April, with regard to the supports required.

Photo of Aindrias MoynihanAindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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71. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the engagement she had with the Minister for Finance to extend the spend and stay scheme given the scheme runs between 1 October 2020 and 30 April 2021 and current restrictions due to Covid-19 mean that this scheme cannot be availed of in view of the duration that the scheme is available for; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21955/21]

Photo of Catherine MartinCatherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Stay and Spend scheme was set up late last summer to stimulate demand for accommodation and hospitality businesses during the off season. Established by my colleague Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, this scheme was launched as an innovative approach to incentivise spending. However, public health conditions beyond our control have clearly prevented that. The stop and start nature of the pandemic and the unpredictable consequences of it have resulted in the scheme being under utilised and it is now scheduled to expire at the end of April.

There have been other very effective supports in place, including CRSS and the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme for strategic tourism businesses and Government has confirmed there will be no cliff edge in supports.  I am committed to continuing support for tourism through this difficult period and to working towards reopening and recovery.  As part of the National Economic Recovery Plan, Government will be outlining how it will help people return to work and further support sectors which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.  Along with my colleagues in Government, I will consider more targeted measures to help reboot those sectors, such as tourism, which will face particular challenges during the recovery phase when the economy reopens. 

A review of the Stay and Spend scheme was one of the recent recommendations of the Tourism Recovery Oversight Group and I have urged cabinet colleagues to give serious consideration to this and other recommendations of that report to facilitate the reopening of the sector. Once the scheme ends it is anticipated that the Minster for Finance will take stock and look to what additional measures might be appropriate to put in place towards the end of the year.  In this regard, and subject to prevailing health advice I am hopeful that the summer season will be buoyed by strong numbers in domestic tourism providing much needed business activity within the sector, but I am cognisant of the seasonal nature of the industry and financial challenges the leaner shoulder and off season months could bring. 

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