To ask the Minister for Communities whether he plans to undertake a reform of Sport NI.

Mr Lyons

The Sports Council for Northern Ireland — Sport NI — is a statutory body that was set up under the Recreation and Youth Service (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. There are no plans to undertake a reform of Sport NI. However, the 'New Decade, New Approach' document stated:

Although Sport NI is one of the Department for Communities' arm's-length bodies (ALBs) that has been identified for review, that has not yet been taken forward. As the sponsor Department, Communities continues to work in partnership with Sport NI to support the board and the executive team to deliver the necessary changes to the organisation that will allow it to deliver effectively for the sports sector in relation to its core functions and within a proper governance framework. Over the past three years, Sport NI has issued Exchequer funding of almost £39·4 million and lottery funding of just over £17 million. That funding consisted of grant awards to over 1,900 organisations. This year, Sport NI plans to invest £7·1 million of National Lottery funding across 40 sports governing bodies, with the ambition of boosting that figure to almost £8 million next year. In addition, in November 2022, my Department and Sport NI published a partnership agreement, following the launch of the Northern Ireland code of good practice on partnerships between Departments and arm's-length bodies. That was the first such agreement between my Department and an arm's-length body and demonstrates the commitment of both bodies to deliver for the sports sector in Northern Ireland. At the request of Sport NI last May, my Department has agreed to carry out an independent strategic review of the organisation. The aim of that review is to identify and understand the cause of governance and control issues so that they can be addressed and the organisation can be stabilised. My Department has engaged an independent strategic partner to carry out the review, and the draft report of findings is expected before the end of the financial year. I will take time to consider the report's findings and assess what further action by the Department is required. In any event, the findings of the strategic review will assist Sport NI to identify and address a number of governance concerns. It will also help to inform the Department of the approach required for future review work, as set out in the New Decade, New Approach agreement.

Mr Speaker

Minister, you might remind your officials that the two minutes is a limit, not a target.

Mr Lyons

First, Mr Speaker, I will endeavour to keep to the two minutes, because I am sure that when you were a Minister, you would never have dared to go over that limit. [Laughter.]

I will endeavour to do the same.

Mr Speaker

We all have whims.

Mr Lyons

I thank the Member for his warm words of welcome. I have a meeting in the diary to meet the UK Sports Minister very soon, as set out in the Government's Command Paper. I look forward to that meeting and to discussing some of the issues that have been raised, because all of us in the Chamber are aware of the underfunding of sports facilities right across Northern Ireland and all sports. I am looking forward to having that conversation in order to ensure that we get adequate resource from the UK Government's funds so that we can have new sports facilities and improve existing sports facilities in Northern Ireland.

Mr Nesbitt

I wish the Member well as Minister. As he suggested, the relationship between the Department and Sport NI has migrated from being a management statement and financial memorandum to a partnership agreement. Given that there is now a review under way, what does that tell us about the efficacy of those new partnership arrangements?

Mr Lyons

I do not think that anybody in here will be surprised by some of the issues that have affected Sport NI over the past number of years, particularly with regard to budget allocations. It is important that all those issues are addressed, and the review will look into them as well. We need an organisation that is able to deliver the support that is needed to sport and to those grassroots facilities. I look forward to that review, and we will see what further action needs to be taken.

Mr McNulty

There is wonderful news today that €50 million has been agreed from the Shared Island unit for Casement Park. Minister, I know that you are a soccer man, but will you agree to come to the newly built Casement Park for the Ulster final in 2027, supported by Sport NI, of course? I will reciprocate by going to the Euros in 2028. Would that not just be wonderful, Minister?

Mr Lyons

There are, obviously, a number of issues to consider before we get to that stage. The Member will be aware that there are still outstanding issues in the quantum of funding that will be required and the quantum of funding that will be made available. Those are outstanding issues for the Department, and we look forward to hearing more about them in due course.