The Committee for Communities has agreed to write to the Department for Communities seeking clarity on its role in the decision to allocate £710K for a state-of-the-art pitch upgrade at Lisneal College in Derry.
Chair of the committee, Colm Gildernew said the award was given “while many schools struggle with basic necessities”.
He said: “I want to raise the issue of a recent £710k investment in a school pitch in the North West.
“It is still not clear and there had been media articles linking Communities to this issue and it’s not clear how much, if any funding, has come from Communities budget.
“While the Minister of Education spoke to us in the chamber earlier in the week, I didn’t get a direct answer in relation to my question.
“We do have a scrutiny role in relation to the department for communities budget should that be impacted, so I would be proposing that we seek clarity from the department in the first instance in relation to that to see if there’s any element of funding from DfC.”
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Minister Lyons was part of a meeting along with Education Minister Paul Givan and Michael Allen MBE, Headmaster of Lisneal College, Londonderry, that took place at Parliament Buildings in June.
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DUP MLA Gary Middleton was also in attendance along with a coach from Maiden City FC which has a partnership with Lisneal where they share the 3G pitch.
At the meeting they heard that the pitch is 17 years old and the floodlights, previously installed by EA, are broken.
The minutes added: “The School and Club has an ambition to improve the facilities, up to NIFL standard with a covered dome area, 2 x MUGAs (multi-use games areas) and facility to accommodate cricket teams, but cannot get the project shovel ready without support from EA to get planning permission.
“Minister Lyons highlighted potential for Your School Your Club and asked Kate to discuss options with Mr Allen and Mr Kee. Minister Givan offered to make introductions to Ballymacash Rangers so that Maiden City could hear about the success of the Ballymacash Project in terms of fundraising and find out from Education Officials how planning permission barriers could be reviewed.”
Actions to be taken away from the meeting were: “Sports Branch to contact Lisneal School when Your School Your Club issues call for applications for 2024.”
On Tuesday, the Belfast Telegraph asked Mr Lyons about his involvement in the meeting with Mr Givan and Lisneal College principal Michael Allen in June.
He said: “Well look, obviously, Paul Givan has given a full explanation as to how the processes work.
“My involvement comes in because we often work together as departments because we want to see an increase in sporting facilities in Northern Ireland.
“In particular, the Your School Your Club programme allows joint investment into sporting facilities in schools which can then be opened up into the community as well.
“So much of our sporting infrastructure is behind school gates, so that was my involvement in that meeting.”
Asked if Your School Your Club is a Department for Communities initiative he said “yes, we work together with the Department of Education”.
On whether he is still involved in ongoing plans with Lisneal, he added: “My understanding is, that’s not part of Your School Your Club,” before he was promptly moved on by an official.
On Monday Mr Gildernew raised the issue of Macartan’s Primary School in Clogher, in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
The project originated in 2019 and was also approved for money on essential works to be spent in 2022, yet Mr Givan told him twice in November that there was no capital to move forward with it.
“How much of the £710,000 that was awarded to Lisneal College was needed to address safety concerns?” he added.
Mr Givan said the Sinn Fein man was right to challenge him, adding: “That is why I ask for way more than the amount of capital funding that I am granted, because I know that we need to get the support for our schools. A total of £29 million was allocated for minor works schemes.
“The delegated authority for the Education Authority to take those decisions is £1 million. That decision, then, does not sit with me.
“I am responsible for major new schools and school enhancement programmes. When I announced major new capital programmes for new builds this year, they were for a balanced number of schools reflective of all sectors.
“People can rightly scrutinise decisions that I have taken, but they cannot make allegations about decisions that were not my responsibility and were for the Education Authority.”