Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 September 2023
307. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when the review of the large-scale sport infrastructure fund will be completed; when the scheme will be open for new applications; what the budget for the scheme is for 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41076/23]
View answerThe 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.
