Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 May 2022
27. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when a review into the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund will be completed; and the subsequent process that Monaghan County Council will be required to progress in order to avail of future funding through the fund with a view to the provision of a public swimming pool in Carrickmacross. [22015/22]
View answer44. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the rules governing the operation of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund; the amount expended under the fund to date; the amount made available and spent under each respective project; her plans for the future of the fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22091/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 44 together.
The Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was launched in 2018 to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, including swimming pools, with at least €100 million being made available over the period to 2027.
The first allocations under the LSSIF were announced in January 2020 and, thus far, approximately €86.4 million has been awarded to 33 different proposals. The projects that received provisional allocations and the amounts provisionally awarded to them are published on the Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/service/4113b3-large-scale-sport-infrastructure-fund-lssif/. The rules of the scheme and the assessment process are also published on that page.
Total LSSIF payments of €460,600 have been made to date consisting of €417,015 in 2021 and €43,585 in 2022. Limerick City and County Council has received payments amounting to €375,371 in respect of the Regional Athletics Hub in Newcastle West and Dublin City and County Council has received payments amounting to €85,229 for the Dalymount Park Redevelopment Project. It is expected that a number of additional projects will be in a position to draw down funding this year.
The total funding applied for under the scheme significantly exceeded the amount available to allocate and it was not possible to allocate grants to many worthy projects. It was also not possible to provide all successful applicants the full amount sought.
While the priority in the short term is to advance all of the projects that were allocated funding, as it is now two years since the first allocations were made, and in view of the issues faced by grantees as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was considered timely to review progress on all projects allocated grants. My Department has now met with all successful grantees and work is at an advanced stage in drafting the review. I expect this work to be finalised shortly.
Once that review is complete the scope for awarding any additional grants, adjusting the level of existing grants and the timing of any new call for proposals, including proposals for new swimming pools, will be considered.
