Sarsfields flood damage grant
Deputy O'Sullivan seeks progress on support for Sarsfields GAA after flood damage destroyed its facilities. The Tánaiste confirms a €570,000 allocation has been announced and the payment process is underway.
Last winter, the Tánaiste, the then Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, and I surveyed the damage that had occurred at Sarsfields GAA Club in Glanmire following extensive flooding. The astro turf pitch and bar area were destroyed and the clubhouse damaged. The main pitch has to be reinstated. There have been long delays with insurers, loss adjusters and so on. To be fair, the State and the Government have always said they would stand by the club and would not be found wanting when that process had been completed. I have been in regular contact with the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, who has visited the site more than once and has been consistent in his support for the club. Now that all of the issues surrounding the loss adjusters and insurance have been resolved, will the Tánaiste confirm, preferably before we leave today, when the State support that was pledged will be with the club?
Comment on this
I met the Deputy at Sarsfields grounds after the flooding. The club played a role in helping to alleviate the danger to the town when those horrific floods happened. We went to the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and, in what was an exceptional measure given the impact of the floods in destroying the entire grounds, an allocation to the club of €570,000 was announced some weeks ago. A Supplementary Estimate was formally passed through the House yesterday to enable that grant to be paid, along with others, and an instruction has issued from the Department for the grant to be issued. It will, I hope, be in the bank next Monday or next week. That has now happened.