1655. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for the latest update on the development of the national cricket stadium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62615/26]

The National Cricket Centre will deliver a high-performance facility comprising an outdoor practice and training area, an indoor training and practice area, an arena for holding major games with associated media and spectator facilities, and a range of other facilities, including a second playing area for training and second tier matches, and headquarter offices for Cricket Ireland.

The project will be delivered in two phases. Phase 1 will deliver the main field of play, 4,240 spectator seats, a high-performance centre and a player and match officials' building. This first phase is being managed in two distinct construction contracts to ensure that the playing surface will be adequately prepared in time for the 2030 T20 World Cup tournament, which Ireland will co-host.

Contract 1 will deliver the main cricket oval, seating bowl and concourse, two toilet blocks, an energy centre, a maintenance building, and all associated civil and infrastructure works. The contract was awarded to John Sisk & Son Limited earlier this year and the construction company has been onsite since May. I was delighted to turn the sod for this project at the commencement of the construction phase in June and since then, the project has been progressing well and remains on schedule and within budget.

The procurement and business case processes for Contract 2, which will deliver the remaining requirements of Phase 1, will take place later this year and it is anticipated that the facility will be completed and operational by Q3 2029, which will ensure readiness for the 2030 T20 World Cup tournament. Phase 2 of the project, which will not be a requirement for hosting the tournament, has been deferred to a later date.

The National Cricket Centre is the second large-scale project being delivered under the Sport Ireland Campus Masterplan, following the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre, which commenced construction in February 2026. The Masterplan provides an ambitious blueprint setting out a vision and framework for the growth of the Sport Ireland Campus and the long-term development of associated sporting facilities over the next 15 to 20 years. Government approved the Campus Masterplan in November 2022 and reaffirmed its commitment to the phased delivery of the National Sports Campus. The Masterplan provides a framework for the further development of the Campus over the next 15 to 20 years and identifies the next key high-level projects for development.