Gordon Lyons
East Antrim · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Implementing other recommendations will require further legislation that, I trust, will come in the next mandate, but I can confirm that 60 of the recommendations have already been separately addressed by either the Department or the commission. I hope that that answers his questions.”
“Yes, I do and am happy to share those. The issue has been raised in the Chamber and through Assembly questions. My position is that we want to make it simple and straightforward for people.”
“They also introduce greater flexibility in financial reporting, allowing requirements to be tailored more appropriately, reducing burdens on smaller organisations and ensuring that the system can adapt over time through secondary legislation.”
“If they want to constitute as a Northern Ireland-only charity, they are able to do that, if they believe that that will bring certain benefits.”
“That is similar to what we are trying to do with trustees. Even though you leave your position as a trustee or your position as someone who holds an office in a charity or who has employment in the office, the commissioner will still be able to make a determination that says, "Even though you have left, we are still making this order to t…”
“I do not believe that it was. That was maybe picked up wrong. We are happy to look at and explore that, but that is the information that I have on it. Again, we will have the Committee Stage of the legislation, so we can look into that then.”
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“Absolutely. That goes not only for the clubs that got through and missed out but for those grassroots clubs that we need to support. That is what I want to do. There is opportunity for us to look at financial transactions capital. That can help in some of the projects, which will, hopefully, take some of the pressure off the funding. We can look at other sources of funding. I will certainly look at my Department's capital budget. I hope that the Executive will see the need to continue to invest in sport as well, but that has to be balanced against many of the other pressures that we face. That said, investment in sport is also an investment in health and education. I hope that my Executive colleagues realise and understand that. <BR /> <BR />I am fully aware of the size and scale of the challenge that we face.”
“<BR /> <BR />This is public money, so it needs to be handled in the right way. There needs to be propriety in how this is all done, and I will make sure that we keep the Assembly, Executive and Committee updated.”
“Absolutely. That is why it is so important that we go through this process over the next number of months. There will be an initial period of work that I hope will be very short. By the way, with all these timelines, which I am happy to publish when we have them, we want to go forward as quickly as possible. I do not want the Department to be a burden or to hold things back in any way, so I will allocate additional staff to make sure that clubs have the help that they need to progress. However, there will be that stage when due diligence and checks will need to be done. We will make sure that we look at other potential sources of funding, and then we can start to issue the initial funding for a grant so that help can be given with business cases. Finally, we will move on to construction.”
“However, we will always be open to feedback to see what can be done in the future, because, believe me, it is my intention to do everything that I can to make sure that footballing need is met right across Northern Ireland. I want all these projects to progress.”
“I am grateful to the Member for his words about moving the programme forward. Believe me, I understand the disappointment that many people feel. I have met many of the individuals who are involved, and I see the work that they put in. Remember that nearly everyone whom we are talking about gives their own time and makes that effort because they are passionate about the work that they do. They have applied to the fund because, in many cases, no other options are available to them. I understand that, and I get that frustration, but I was determined to move this forward. I will use the sessions with the clubs to get their feedback. <BR /> <BR />I believe that I have set out today a very robust and entirely tight and defensible case for why we did what we did.”
“I have seen the projects, including those that were in the prioritised cohort and those that have not been successful at this point. I want to see all of them go ahead, and I will look at all available options to try to get that money together.”
“So, yes, I decided to bring in more projects than I should have, given the amount of funding that is available, but I think that that is the right decision. I also believe that there is work for clubs to do to make sure that they have maximised the amount of income that they can bring in. I will say this again: government should always and only be a funder of last resort. Clubs will need to demonstrate that they do not have access to the capital or the borrowing that would allow them to do that work themselves. I am hopeful that more will come in that way. <BR /> <BR />I also want to look at financial transactions capital, because many of the clubs will do things that align with the objectives of the Executive, so financial transactions capital is possible. That could be done on quite a large scale, and I am actively exploring it.”
“I reiterate that I would not want to be in the position in which I had allocated only £30 million and a number of those projects were to fall away, because the House would rightly want to hold me to account for getting to that stage at the end of another mandate with the money again not having been spent.”
“I want to make sure that I move the projects forward as much as I can within the budget that is available. I want to make sure that we are in a position to spend what is there now. That is one of the reasons for my reference to over-planning in reply to Mr Honeyford when he spoke about raising expectations. I have been clear that the fund is moving to the next stage. At no stage have I ever said that there is a guarantee of clubs receiving funding. In fact, I made that very clear in my speech last week, in my speech today and in public commentary.”
“I appreciate the Member's question and agree with him that it is a good thing that the fund is finally being progressed after years of no action. I recognise his concern about the overcommitment, but it is important to note a number of things. Even if all programmes were to be successful, as I said to the Member who spoke previously, other funding opportunities might become available, and some of those would have to be delivered in phases as well. I am therefore hopeful that we can get additional resource or that clubs can find additional resource. If, however, we get to that stage and none of that materialises, and all the clubs are successful in getting through due diligence and business cases, we can then look at alternative arrangements for how we make decisions.”
“<BR /> <BR />Of course, I want to see more funding for sport in Northern Ireland. I want to see more funding for the football fund in particular because of the impact that it can have across Northern Ireland, and not just on a Friday night or a Saturday afternoon but on the community. I will therefore be meeting the Minister of Finance to talk about the need that exists. I will also be looking at alternative sources of funding, and I believe that, through the process, clubs will also do that, and that is another reason for over-planning. Remember that government is always the last resort for funding, and if there are other options for clubs to raise private finance or borrow or for us to use financial transactions capital (FTC), all those options should be considered as well, and that is what I will be doing.”
“I thank the Member for his points and congratulate the clubs that were successful. <BR /> <BR />For me, the most important thing is that we get as much as possible of that money spent in order to make the improvements that we can make to footballing infrastructure across Northern Ireland. That is why, as we often do in government, we over-plan. We took forward more applications than there is the budget for. I think that I could write the Member's question for him if, in two years' time, we were to come to this place, and I had allocated only £30 million to projects, and one or two bigger ones had fallen by the wayside because of planning or some other issue. We therefore did over-plan, given that we know that issues may arise along the way. My priority was to make sure that we spent as much of that money as we could.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I have offered officials to meet all of those clubs — successful and otherwise. If clubs would like to meet me as well on that, I will be happy to do that, because it is important not only that they have confidence in the robustness of the application process but that we can help with next steps. I have repeated this time and time again, but I want this to be a rolling programme. Just as the footballing fund in England has been going for 25 years, I would love to see a constant rolling programme to make sure that we eventually get funding to those who need it. I hope that that will give some confidence that this is not the end of the process for anybody. I am happy to meet if that will help to assuage any concerns.”
“We also went outside the Department and used someone who was the head of a large, independent organisation and has funding experience in such matters, and legal advice was received multiple times throughout the process. Therefore I am sure of its robustness and fairness, but I want to see more people go through. That is what I will seek to do. I am more than happy to assist the Committee in any way, because it is right that people have confidence in the process.”
“I completely understand the concern that has been expressed and the fact that many will have been pleased at the announcement. However, it is important to note that it has been a robust process. I am more than happy to make sure that officials are available to brief the Committee so that any outstanding questions can be answered. I would like to think that, during my remarks, I set out how that has been robust. To begin with, officials checked, then officials came together to score, and then those were checked again by an internal moderator and an external moderator. Before that, when the process was being put in place, we made sure that it was robustly designed. As I set out in my statement, we engaged with colleagues in the Department who have expertise in such issues.”
“I have got on with it; I have delivered. I will do everything that I can to help make sure that those who have not got through at this stage can move through. I am not going to take him disparaging other clubs, and I certainly will not take him disparaging the hard work and dedication of my officials that has allowed us to get to this stage.”
“— which was inappropriate for him to do. He had a blanket response. Yes, I outlined some of the challenges that were there, but he gave a blanket response, and that was wrong and inappropriate. <BR /> <BR />The difference between me and him is that I want to see all of our clubs progress. I am not pitting them against each other. I have ensured that we are at least moving forward in the process. I will take advice on what I can and cannot publish. Some of that might be appropriate for us to do, and some of it may not, because of what we have done in the past with regard to such applications. I will say this: I have heard nothing from the Member about how the process was held up for 14 years. Where was his criticism of the others who held it up for so long? I am a Minister who has got something done.”
“It is true. Unfortunately, he has been disparaging about tier 2 clubs. He commented on whether they would be able to deliver, and he commented on their capacity, which was inappropriate”
“I stand robustly over the work of my officials, and the Member is denigrating not only the work of my officials but other clubs that have applied. In his online commentary over the weekend, he sought to pit club against club.”
“Well, he has. He clearly does not know the process that was in place, even though I have just outlined that process. If he had listened to the statement that I have just made, he would realise that it is not appropriate to compare different tiers. That is what he is doing in the example that he gave. <BR /> <BR />The Member is trying to put some blame on my shoulders and to say that, in some way, I engineered an outcome. The Member beside him is nodding. That is what he is trying to do. I stand robustly over the work of my —”
“Unfortunately, the Member has got a number of things wrong. First of all, he is conflating —”
“<BR /> <BR />It is important to note that all clubs are still further along than they ever have been. We have made progress, and we are going to make more, so let us keep at it. I commend the statement to the House.”
“I have seen the need to improve their infrastructure and the benefits that they provide to the local community, despite the infrastructure challenges that they face. I have seen at first hand what the clubs are capable of and have listened to their understandable frustrations with the previous stalling of the programme. <BR /> <BR />With that in mind, I am delighted to take the step towards helping them to realise their goals of improving on and off the pitch. I have demonstrated that I am a Minister who is getting things done, and today, I am committing to do all that I can to progress the programme for all clubs to ensure that their needs are met because of the transformational impact that we can have on the lives of people across Northern Ireland.”
“There is never a guarantee that a capital project will reach completion. Building is a complicated endeavour, with multiple milestones and approvals not just from DFC but from other statutory bodies. Challenges in the design and construction phases will inevitably be faced, and they can never be predicted from the outset. Large capital projects of this nature take time. While their development is ongoing, I intend to make the case for more money to allow me to meet the needs of the entire sector. <BR /> <BR />Clubs also have a responsibility to ensure that their projects deliver the highest standards and maximise benefits. The first projects to be delivered must be trailblazers that can help to demonstrate the huge potential that football has to transform communities. <BR /> <BR />Since taking office, I have visited many of the clubs.”
“It is important to note that individual projects have not yet been fully costed or market-tested. That was a deliberate decision on my part so that all eligible clubs could apply to the performance programme, not just those who were able to produce detailed designs. It is therefore currently impossible to predict precisely the final quantum of government funding that will be required. Nevertheless, taking the figures as presented in the individual applications, the total departmental requirement to complete all 20 of the projects is just over £82 million against estimated total project costs of £98 million. <BR /> <BR />As I said, I am not committing to any spend at this point. It is also important for me to point out that the money will not be spent overnight but, rather, over some years.”
“Some just did not provide enough information to secure a higher score. Assessors considered how well an applicant demonstrated that they met or had the potential to meet the expectations linked to each question and scored the answer accordingly. Limited responses in meeting the expectations listed received a lower score, while excellent responses in meeting expectations received a higher score. I repeat that the scoring matrix and guidance documents are still available on my Department's web page for all to see. <BR /> <BR />We must now move forward at pace to deliver this long-awaited commitment. It will be the beginning of an ongoing process to provide much-needed funding and raise the standard of the entire sector. My intention is that more projects will be brought forward if more funding becomes available.”
“<BR /> <BR />I know that, despite the rigorous process, many feel disappointed that some projects, particularly those in the north-west, are not being taken forward in the first prioritised cohort. However, each applicant had the same opportunity to make their case. Each applicant was scored solely on the information provided in their application against the published criteria. The total score determined the applicant's rank order within their respective tier. <BR /> <BR />I have visited many of our performance club grounds, so I know that there are no bad projects out there. The need is clear. However, applications varied in quality. Some applications included irrelevant information. Some included inaccurate information. Some applicants cut and pasted, giving the same answer to two different questions.”
“Members will be aware that the prioritised cohort of 20 projects to be taken forward to the next stage of the programme are, in alphabetical order: in tier 1, Armagh City Football Club, Ballymacash Sports Academy, Lisburn Distillery Football Club, Queen's University Association Football Club and Rathfriland Rangers Football Club; in tier 2, Ballinamallard United Football Club, Ballymena United Football Club, Banbridge Town Football Club, Bangor Football Club, Carrick Rangers Football Club, Dergview Football Club, Dungannon Swifts Football Club, Glenavon Football Club, Larne Football Club, Lisburn Rangers Football Club, Loughgall Football Club, Newry City Athletic Football Club and Oxford Sunnyside Football Club; and, in tier 3, Cliftonville Football Club and Glentoran Football Club.”
“I understand how long people have been waiting for this money, so I am not prepared to do anything that could bring the process into question. <BR /> <BR />When considering how many projects to take forward from each tier, I considered a range of options presented by my officials. I opted to take forward a range of small, medium and large projects with a total value higher than the current available budget to ensure that the budget can be spent and to avoid any further erosion of its value.”
“Those two officials scored all applications in their tier individually and then came together in their pair to agree scores. Those scores were moderated internally by three more officials, one for each tier. Finally, all 37 applications were independently moderated by an external moderator. <BR /> <BR />That scoring, double-checking and triple-checking approach was adopted to ensure consistency of scoring and a robustly defensible rank order for each tier. I was not involved in scoring applications or determining their merit order. My role in the process was to approve the overarching policy approach and to decide how many projects would be taken forward to the next stage. I did not see any of the applications, and I did not influence or seek to influence the merit order of any of the tiers.”
“Football has changed in the past 10 years. The budget set then did not predict the central role that clubs play in their communities today, nor did it anticipate the rise of the women's game and the facilities needs that have grown out of that. Over the past few months, my officials have worked diligently, carefully assessing every application against the criteria set out in the scoring matrix and guidance notes. The scoring matrix, which was made available to all eligible clubs when they were invited to apply and is still available on my Department's website, lists the expectations and the scores achievable against each of the questions relating to need, benefits and finance. Six experienced officials undertook the task of scoring. Two were assigned to each tier.”
“<BR /> <BR />The competition opened in January and closed in March this year. My Department received a total of 37 applications. The applicants submitted projects requiring in excess of £160 million of financial support. That clearly demonstrates the huge underlying need for the programme, but it also greatly exceeds the current ring-fenced budget of £36·2 million. I knew that demand would outstrip the current budget, which was set in 2015 and so, naturally, has devalued significantly and is long out of date for current needs.”
“We listened to the football family and delivered a programme based on what the clubs wanted: a chance to make their case on the basis of need, to secure enough funding to really make a difference and to set out their ambitions and the benefits that their club could deliver for fans and communities. <BR /> <BR />The performance programme is focused on modernising footballing infrastructure and improving the financial sustainability of clubs. It is also designed to maximise the impact that public funding can bring to people within and beyond clubs, particularly those who have traditionally been under-represented. That means that applications to the programme were assessed not solely on the state of disrepair of facilities but on the strength of the case that clubs could make about their ability to deliver benefits to the wider community.”
“For example, a proposal for a replacement carpet on an existing pitch for a rural club, which might cost around £1 million, would not be in direct competition with a major demolition-and-rebuild project costing upwards of £10 million. What that means in practice is that scores are not comparable across tiers. <BR /> <BR />The people of Northern Ireland are at the heart of everything that my Department does, and the objectives of the programme reflect that. The programme was developed in partnership with key stakeholders, including governing bodies and clubs themselves.”
“The feedback from clubs and other stakeholders on the application process was overwhelmingly positive, with many welcoming the chance to make their case on an even playing field. They understood that the process had no pre-commitments to any particular clubs, areas or individual circumstances. <BR /> <BR />Applicants were first asked to estimate their overall project cost and to self-select one of three tiers within their application that would be scored. It was for applicants themselves to carefully consider their needs. The only guidance that my Department offered was that clubs should make sure that the projects proposed were proportionate to their needs and the benefits that they could deliver for their club and communities. The tiers meant that projects were assessed and ranked against others of a similar size.”
“It was clear that applicants whose projects were not taken forward in the first cohort would feel disappointed, so the application, criteria and approach to scoring were thoroughly tested in advance. Testing was completed internally with our economists, accountants and other business partners. Everything was also tested externally with other independent funding bodies. Legal advice was sought to confirm fairness. That was all before the application documents were published in January. <BR /> <BR />Support was offered to clubs in advance of them submitting applications. My officials provided information sessions across the country to take everyone through the application process, and comprehensive guidance and scoring information was shared with all eligible applicants and made available online.”
“<BR /> <BR />I knew that it would be unfair, when the fund had been delayed for so long, to expect all clubs to have kept planning permissions in place and to have fully developed designs, so I allowed applications to be made for projects that have not yet been fully developed. Applicants were required to have a strong understanding of their needs, to have worked closely with their local communities to understand and be able to clearly set out the benefits that their projects could deliver and to have a plan in place to fund part of their projects themselves. <BR /> <BR />Members will appreciate that the process had to be unequivocally fair and defensible. People have waited so long.”
“<BR /> <BR />I made my intention clear that the programme would be delivered in phases because it would not be possible to fund and deliver all the projects at once. Therefore, to determine the order in which projects would be taken forward, I committed to using a fair and transparent open competition approach to assess clubs' individual needs, proposals and ability to deliver sustainable benefits. I was determined that all applicants would have an equal opportunity to make their case. My officials worked with stakeholders and listened when they asked for clubs' previous investment in capital work to be taken into account. We listened when clubs said that no individual club should have special treatment and asked for all clubs to have the chance to make their case on a level playing field.”
“I wish to make a statement to update the Assembly on the Northern Ireland Football Fund and, in particular, the performance programme strand of the fund. <BR /> <BR />When I took office, I made it clear that one of my priorities would be to push forward the long-standing commitment to invest in our local footballing infrastructure. Last May, I gave approval for the Northern Ireland Football Fund to go ahead and set my officials the task of designing a rolling programme of investment. I opened the first call for applications from performance clubs at the start of the year. Last week, I was delighted to announce the outcome of the competition and the first cohort of projects that will move forward to the next stage.”
“Obviously, there is review of all spend in the Department to ensure that it matches up with what we are trying to do. I know from having met the organisers at the launch last week that they want to make this more accessible and bring more people in. They should be congratulated and supported for that, and I hope that many people across Northern Ireland and, indeed, those outside Northern Ireland will see the rich musical, cultural and historical traditions that we have to offer.”
“I do not have the information about how it is funded. Perhaps the Member could contact Orangefest to see how the money will be used.”
“I have engaged with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. I have not engaged directly as Minister with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council about those issues.”
“We have made a mistake, but the important thing is that we recognise that it was a mistake and put in place solid action. There is a lot of talk about the need to talk and listen to experts: we ignored the experts and the Climate Change Committee in 2022, because we were driven by ideology and political considerations instead of what was best for the people of Northern Ireland. That has come back to bite us.”
“Mr McCrossan has called for an emergency fix to deal with the A5 issue: that will not be enough. That is why I wrote to the Agriculture Minister, Andrew Muir, and asked him to introduce legislation to amend the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 so that we can put in place policies that take account of the difficult situation in which we have now been placed. I have been warning about that for some time. It was inevitable that this would happen. It should not come as a surprise to anybody, and we need to rectify the situation. <BR /> <BR />It takes political bravery to say, "We got it wrong. We rushed it and let ourselves get into a difficult position at the end of the mandate". We have done it many times in this place before.”
“I have started to take legal advice on the court ruling and its implications, but I am deeply concerned about what it might mean for Northern Ireland and, in particular, housebuilding. We are in this position as a result of the mess in 2022, when rival Bills were introduced in the Assembly. Some parties, including Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance, were tripping over themselves to out-green the Green Party, and they have left us in that mess. We have to deal with the reality of the situation that we find ourselves in, the targets that are there and the legislative requirements on us. The ruling could have an impact not just on major infrastructure projects but on anything that we seek to build. If something is seen as not lining up with our plans and with the legislation, we could be in difficulty.”
“I have met my sporting ministerial counterparts from the rest of the UK. I will continue to do that, and I will certainly be an advocate of Northern Ireland sport getting its fair share.”
“That is not particularly new news. I was at the launch, but, ultimately, it is up to the IFA and other partners to ensure that the funding is available for that. There are lots of things that we might like to do, but we need to make sure that the funding is in place. I am certainly happy to work with interested parties on that. Of course, a contribution can come from the Department through the Northern Ireland Football Fund.”
“That is why it is so important that we ensure that the funding is aligned with our objectives. Sport NI in particular does a good job in taking a joined-up, coordinated approach to making sure that the funding that is available helps with the things that we are trying to achieve.”
“I have certainly seen the benefit that funding from National Lottery projects can have not just in my constituency but across Northern Ireland. The Member will not be surprised to hear that I have concerns about how prevalent gambling is, but, if we receive proceeds from the National Lottery that can be used for good causes, I am certainly happy to make sure that they can be used in a way that lines up with our objectives.”
“<BR /> <BR />The cross-departmental working group on the Irish language strategy has been set up because I want to make sure that we can preserve and promote language, but that cannot be at a cost that is detrimental to the public purse and to other things that we want to do, so we have put the group together to make sure that any actions are affordable.”