Debate contribution: Sport NI: Reform
Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on .
- MLA
- Mr Gordon Lyons
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 20 February 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Sport NI: Reform
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4380885
Read the official Assembly record
Text
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:
"There will be a review of Arm’s Length Bodies with a view to their rationalisation."
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.
411 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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