Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 277 and 295 together.

Ireland has consistently demonstrated ambition in terms of attracting to the country large scale sports events that can make a positive return under a range of headings including in terms of the economy and tourism, wider participation in sport, and general wellbeing. This is evidenced by the Government’s decisions to support events, including:

• The US College Football Classic series from 2022 – 2026
• The UEFA Europa League football final in 2024
• The Ryder Cup in 2027 in Limerick
• Co-hosting of the UEFA Euro 2028 football championship with the UK
• Proposed co-hosting of the 2030 T20 Cricket World Cup with the UK

My Department's key roles in this regard is to:

(a) develop a policy and a strategy for bidding and hosting Major Sports Events and an assessment model for State financial support, and

(b) manage and coordinate State support for bids for and the subsequent hosting of Major Sports Events and to protect and promote the State’s interests in the delivery of events.

In so doing the Department assesses the economic, sporting and social case for supporting a bid to host a Major Sport Event. Where a positive case exists, Minister Martin and I will seek Government approval to bids for Major Sports Events by sporting organisations, in particular in relation to the provision of necessary Government guarantees and the provision of specific public services. The Department will then co-ordinate Government support in the hosting and delivery of events, as appropriate, with particular regard again to Government guarantees and the provision of public services.

To that end, officials in the Department engage closely with a range of bodies including National Governing Bodies of Sport, local authorities, An Garda Síochána, other Government Departments and agencies in evaluating and delivering major sports events.

In line with the commitment in the Programme for Government, a Major International Sports Events Policy is currently being developed by my Department. The aim is to establish whether and how Government should support major international sports events, the benefits it should seek to derive from such events, the supports it could offer and the kind of events it should prioritise for support.This will provide the basis for a strategy to support and attract major international sports events and an assessment model based on the identified priorities. Mechanisms and channels to support events will also be developed.

Focused consultations with key stakeholders have been held and a public consultation has been completed. Research, including consideration of the policies and strategies in place in other countries, has been undertaken.

My Department has prepared a high level policy paper which is currently the subject of consultation with other Government Departments. It is intended thereafter to submit the policy to Government in the coming period.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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In addition to the regular major sports events organised by the various National Governing Bodies of Sport, Govenment input has played a role in the hosting of major sporting events of varying sizes across many sports since the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 1998.

These events have included events with a strong focus on tourism such as the US College Classic American football games which attract tens of thousands of visitors from the US and beyond, high performance sports events that give Irish athletes a chance to compete at the top level on home soil and develop their potential such as the 2021 European Cross Country Championships and larger events with a wider impact that require more significant State support that goes beyond sport and tourism such as the Special Olympics in 2003 and the Ryder Cup in 2006.

These events were supported and delivered through a number of different agencies, Government Departments, Local Authorities, National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs), State Agencies and other bodies. Support has included direct funding and assistance with issues such as policing and transport.

In addition to direct support from Government, Fáilte Ireland and Sport Ireland, two agencies that come under my Department's remit, have supported a range of major international sports events. With regard to specific expenditure by Fáilte Ireland or Sport Ireland on such events, these are operational matters for Fáilte Ireland, as the National Tourism Development Authority, and Sport Ireland, as the National Sport Development Authority. Neither I, nor my Department, has any role in decisions by the Authority regarding its operational funding priorities and related expenditure.

A centrally coordinated government approach to the hosting of major events was formalised with the establishment in 2019 of a dedicated Major Events Division in the Department. The establishment of this Division built on the experience of both the bids and hosting preparations for major events such as the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017, EURO 2020 and Ryder Cup 2027 and the bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The Division has responsibility for the co-ordination of Government support and input into bids for major sports events and the delivery of support for the delivery and hosting of major events.

The Programme for Government provides for the development of a strategy to identify the type of major sporting events that we can and should bid for, and how these events can be used to increase sporting participation, encourage domestic and international tourism, and promote Ireland. Officials in the Department are currently developing proposals for a Major Sports Events policy and strategy. Minister Martin and I intend to publish the policy in 2024.

In terms of the funding that has been allocated to such major sporting events since my Department was established in its current configuration in 2020, the details of the funding and its purpose are set out below in tabular format.

Years	Project	Amount in Euro	Purpose of funding
2020-2023	Ryder Cup 2027	€19,147,407	Hosting fees, Support for PGA European Tour events in Ireland, Marketing fees
2023	Euro 2028	€262,961	Budget Assurance Report, 50% of Bid costs to date for the Irish portion of the overall bid