Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
192. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his views on the need to develop a new, high-performance HQ for an organisation (details supplied); his views on whether this would be of benefit for sailors of all ages and abilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3344/26]
View answerThe National Sports Policy was published on 25 July 2018 and provided for a Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). The aim of the fund is to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects. These are projects where the Exchequer investment is greater than the maximum amount available under the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF).
In 2024, the second round of the LSSIF attracted an unprecedented level of interest, resulting in grants totalling €173 million being awarded to 35 projects. No application was received from Irish Sailing.
I am fully aware of the concerted efforts to improve the main headquarter facilities for sailing and, while I am supportive of efforts to upgrade the organisation's current headquarters, my current focus is on ensuring the successful delivery of projects funded under the first two rounds of the LSSIF and this process will guide decisions on the timing of a future round.
I encourage all NGBs to make applications for projects where appropriate under the programmes referred to above.
