Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The aim of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) is to provide support for larger sports facilities where the Exchequer investment is greater than the maximum amount available under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP). The first call for proposals under the LSSIF closed in 2019 with applications confined to local authorities and National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of Sport. The first LSSIF allocations were announced in January 2020 and, to date, approximately €86.4 million has been allocated to 33 projects.

The first LSSIF allocations were announced just prior to the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic obviously gave rise to significant financial challenges for all grantees with many of them having to reprioritise their own expenditure plans due to reductions in their income streams. In more recent times, the high level of construction inflation has also presented considerable challenges for grantees.

In view of these issues, it was considered timely to review progress on all projects that were allocated grants and meetings with all grantees have taken place. It is encouraging that, based on these discussions with grantees, the majority of them should be in a position to draw down funding in the coming months. While this progress is very welcome, these discussions also confirm that some projects in receipt of LSSIF grants may not proceed in the short to medium term.

Following recent engagement with the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, and in recognition of the challenges faced by some grantees, officials in my Department wrote to all LSSIF grantees inviting them to apply for additional support by 4 August 2023. To be considered for additional funding, grantees were advised that the key elements of the project should remain as set out in the original LSSIF application and that priority will be given to applicants who provide evidence-based documentation to support their application. I hope to be in a position to announce further allocations in the coming weeks with a view to ensuring that all LSSIF projects still proceeding can be completed.

With regard to a possible new round of the LSSIF, Minister Martin and I will continue to engage with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, in relation to the additional funding required and the timing and terms and conditions of any new round of the LSSIF will be announced in due course.

The LSSIF budget available for 2023 amounts to €14.6 million.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

308. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason that tens of thousands of children in Ireland are denied access to State funding in the practice of taekwondo due to the exclusive and exclusionary practices of organisations (details supplied). [41110/23]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

309. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason that Sports Ireland has allowed organisations (details supplied) to develop exclusionary practises that exclude taekwon-do practitioners in clubs all over the country from accessing supports from Sports Ireland that they should be entitled to. [41111/23]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

310. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the issues that arose in a report (details supplied) on the audit of Covid and capital grants to IMAC have been remediated to the satisfaction of Sport Ireland (specifically the IMAC procurement process and related party terms that were highlighted in the audit report). [41112/23]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

311. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason that the Sports Ireland NGB model for non-Olympic martial arts has taken a more severe exclusionary approach in the taekwondo area, allowing only one association to join in its entirety, whereas the UK model for taekwondo is much more inclusive and has several groups. [41113/23]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

312. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason that the Irish Martial Arts Commission taekwondo NGB model approach is so different to the IMAC Karate NGB model, which is more inclusive with a membership of multiple different types and styles of karate. [41114/23]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

313. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason that Sport Ireland has not taken a more proactive role in supervising governance and oversight in an organisation (details supplied) that has allowed a situation to develop such that 100+ taekwondo clubs spread throughout the country do not have access to Government grants and other supports for their adult, youth, and child members. [41115/23]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 308, 309, 310, 311, 312 and 313 together.

Sport Ireland is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards. This includes the allocation of funding to National Governing Bodies of Sport, including the Irish Martial Arts Commission. Sport Ireland also has responsibility for the governance oversight of the National Governing Bodies of Sport.

I have referred the Deputy's Question to Sport Ireland for direct reply to the Deputy with regard to the matters raised. Please contact my office if a reply is not received within 10 days.