Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 September 2020
312. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht the amount drawn down by the three main sports from the special Covid-19 assistance fund as announced in July 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25487/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra313. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht the amount paid out to sporting groups from the special fund as announced in July 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25488/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 313 together.
A funding package of up to €70 million was announced on 19th June to support the sport sector, which has been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The funding package will be administered by Sport Ireland, which is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport. This funding package includes;
- Funding of up to €40m for the three main field sports organisations – the FAI, the GAA and the IRFU.
- a Resilience Fund of up to €10m to support the National Governing Bodies of Sport,
- a Sports Club Resilience Fund of up to €15m to support clubs, and
- a Sports Restart and Renewal Fund of up to €5m.
The funding is being administered by Sport Ireland and will be invested through new grant schemes with Sport Ireland’s recognised funding partners, i.e. National Governing Bodies of Sport, Local Sports Partnerships and other funded sporting organisations.
No funding has yet been disbursed by Sport Ireland under the new grant schemes. Sport Ireland issued application forms for assistance under the grant schemes direct to funded bodies on 27th July. The closing date for applications was 14th September. It is anticipated that an announcement of funding allocations will be made by Sport Ireland in October.
In addition to this funding scheme, I announced a special fund of €2.5 million as part of the July Jobs Stimulus to support the reopening of publicly accessible swimming pools in recognition of the particular challenges pool operators face in reopening to the public. This funding is also being administered by Sport Ireland. Sport Ireland is currently finalising the grant scheme. Full details of the scheme and the application process will be announced shortly.
