Our main role is to act as the development agency for sport in Ireland. In support of this role we carry out a variety of activities, including the following: -

Advocating and funding of sport and sport bodies across the pillars of participation, performance and in the area of high performance individual sportspersons;
Advising the Ministers and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and other government departments in relation to sports policy issues;
Developing programmes to support and assist sports organisations and their staff and volunteers;
Implementation of a comprehensive anti-doping programme,
Facilitation and direct provision of training and support services to sports organisations,
Creating partnerships and alliances among organisations involved in sports promotion, development and administration.
Promoting equality and diversity for all.
the development of, a sports campus on the Sport Ireland Campus site, and maintain other sports facilities as approved by the minister.
Sport Ireland may also be assigned additional functions by the Minister as per section 9 of Sport Ireland Act 2015

4.Main Clients, Stakeholders and Services of Sport Ireland

Sports Arena - National Governing Bodies, Local Sports Partnerships, Other funded bodies, Olympic Federation of Ireland, Paralympics Ireland, Individual Sportspersons; Coaches, World Anti-Doping Agency
Government Departments - Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Department of Education, Department of Health and Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth etc.
Public Bodies- Healthy Ireland, Health Products Regulatory Authority, Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland
General Public
Other Bodies Media, Schools, Universities, interest groups, etc.;

It is important to note that in comparison with some public sector bodies our level of direct engagement with members of the public would be considerably lower with the vast majority of our engagement being directly with the bodies and athletes we fund.

5.Delivering Quality Service/ Principles of Quality Customer Service

As a public sector organisation, we are committed to providing a quality service to citizens. In order to achieve this, we will interact with our customers in a clear, polite, helpful, open and professional manner and treat our customers fairly and consistency.

This Customer Charter supports this aim.

Providing clean, accessible public offices by complying with occupational and safety standards, and by facilitating access for people with disabilities and other specific needs
Delivering a service to the public in a timely and courteous way.
Dealing effectively with complaints by maintaining a simple to use complaints procedure
Dealing fairly and equitably with appeals by maintaining a simple to use appeals procedure
Ensuring the needs of the public are met by providing a structured approach to consultation, participation and evaluation.
Providing choice, where feasible in service delivery by using available and emerging technologies.
Providing quality services bilingually - Irish and English - where possible.
Ensuring that our staff are properly supported and consulted with regard to service delivery issues

6.Communications

Written

We aim to acknowledge all written communications - emails, faxes and letters - within five working days, and provide a definitive reply or answer within 15 working days. Where an "out of office" reply is received we will give alternative contact details for written communications
If correspondence is received by us which is meant for another Department, Agency, etc. we will forward this correspondence onto them immediately and request that they contact you directly.

Telephone

When you telephone us, we will be available where possible to answer your calls during normal office hours (9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday) with voicemail available outside these hours
Our aim is to process all telephone enquires within 24 hours
We will identify ourselves and our area of work when you contact us
We also aim to be courteous, helpful, and to provide you with clear and accurate information
If we cannot provide an immediate answer, we will take details and call you back within 24 hours or at an agreed time.
We will only connect callers to voicemail when the person they wish to speak with is unavailable
We aim to respond to voicemail messages within one working day or on our return to the office
We will update our voicemail regularly.
We will give alternative contact details if staff members are away from the office for more than a day
We will make every effort to accommodate you if you wish to conduct your business through Irish

Client Calls

We will be available to meet you punctually and by appointment during office hours.
We will try to be flexible in our arrangement for meeting you outside our office hours
We will receive you courteously, be helpful and fair in our dealings and attempt to deal with your enquiry as soon as possible
We will review access to our offices for all our clients in accordance with the National Disability Authority guidelines

Information

We will ensure that all our generally available information is accessible and accurate to all our clients

7.The Provision of Anti-Doping Information

Sport Ireland plays a key role in protecting athletes' health and reputations, and in maintaining the integrity of sport through the implementation of its anti-doping programme. One of the critical factors in achieving this is the provision of information, and Sport Ireland has developed various materials which assist with the provision of appropriate information targeted at a number of our key stakeholders in this area by aiming to: -

Respond to drug enquiries immediately or where this is not possible within two working days
Provide accurate, up to date information on programmes and prohibited substances targeted at specific stakeholders
Issue test results within two working days of receipt from the lab

8.The Provision of Grant Information

One of the main services of the Sport Ireland is the provision of core and programme funding to sports bodies and performance based funding to individual sportspersons. Details of some of our standard schemes are below

Core funding is used primarily to assist and support the organisational structures and systems essential for the effective administration and development of sport.
Programme funding is used to promote specific and targeted initiatives.
High Performance Programme Funding is used to promote specific and targeted initiatives within National Governing Bodies high performance environments
Funding is provided to individual sportspersons through the Sport Ireland's International Carding Scheme and the Team Ireland Golf Trust scheme.

To ensure that all relevant bodies and individuals receive the information they require to apply for this funding, Sport Ireland will aim to: -

Supply all prospective grant applicants with eligibility criteria, terms, conditions and other relevant information in advance
Explain exactly what is required in application forms and ask only relevant questions
Process all applications including making a final decision within six weeks of receipt of the application
Communicate the decision to the grant applicants within two weeks following the date of decision
Issue payments under grant schemes within two weeks of the receipt of confirmation that grant scheme conditions have been met

Sport Ireland will endeavour to deliberate on individual Grant Scheme applications as soon as reasonably practicable. Each Grant Scheme will be judged on its own set of Criteria, meaning that the volume of applications and level of complexity of each Scheme may determine length of the assessment period. Extended timelines may be put in place in cases where the approval of another relevant third party is required. Sport Ireland will remain in communication with applicants throughout the process.

9.Appeals

Sport Ireland operates an Appeals Procedure in respect of all its funding schemes.

Principles of the Appeals Scheme

Proper, Fair and Impartial
Lodging an appeal will have no implications for your dealings with Sport Ireland
Open, accessible and accountable

How to Appeal

Applicants may appeal against a funding decision on the basis of an alleged infringement or unfair application of, or a deviation from Sport Ireland’s published procedures.
If you wish to appeal a funding decision, you can contact the Executive member responsible for the decision.
If after you have discussed the matter with a member you still wish to appeal a funding decision, you must write to the Chief Executive of Sport Ireland within four weeks from the date of notification.
You will receive a written acknowledgement.
Within twenty working days of receiving such a request, the appeal will be considered by the Chief Executive, the Secretary, and an independent Chair. Their conclusions and recommendations will be submitted to the next available meeting of the Board (approximately one per month except during the July/August period). The decision at this stage will be final and will be communicated to the appellant giving their reason for the decision within seven working days of this meeting.
In the case of the International Carding Scheme appeals will be dealt with by the NGB Appeals Committee for transition sports and by Sport Ireland’s independent Carding Appeals Committee for non-transition sport. Sport Ireland may appoint a representative on the NGB appeals committee if necessary. You can appeal by contacting the NGB for details on how to appeal and for an official appeals form. Further details are available in the International Carding Scheme guidelines.

10.Equal Status Policy

We are committed to meeting our Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty obligations under Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014, and will report, in an accessible manner, our achievements in our annual reports.

We are fully committed to providing a service that is accessible and relevant to all our clients and accommodates the specific needs and aspirations of particular client groups.
We will provide staff training to support equal status policy.
We will also provide assistance for anyone needing assistance to come into the office through our nominated access officer contact details below.

11.Help Us to Help You

To assist us in reaching our service standards, we would appreciate it if you could ensure that all application forms are fully, accurately and legibly completed by the specified deadline (where applicable)
If you wish to meet with a member of our staff, you should make an appointment in advance
If we need to amend your details, please fill in and send back the "Amendment of Details form" either by post to Sport Ireland, The Courtyard, Sport Ireland Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, D15 PN0N, by email to customerfeedback@sportireland.ie or by fax to 01 8608880.
We will ensure that our website is kept up to date, complies with disability access requirements and contains information relevant to our client base
We welcome your views on the quality of our website which you can provide through an online feedback facility

12.Feedback

We regard feedback as the key to understanding the needs and expectations of our clients
To ensure that your views - both negative and positive - are communicated to us we provide free post comment cards and an online feedback facility on our website to express your opinions.
Social media communication does not fall within scope of formal communication channels.
Sport Ireland is committed to providing an open, accountable and accessible system of procedures and processes in relation to all areas of its work. Any suggestions as to how we might improve our services may be directed to customerfeedback@sportireland.ie

13.Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act 2014 confer on the general public the right to seek access to records held by public bodies (subject to certain exemptions), to seek reasons for decisions affecting oneself, and to have personal information about oneself corrected.

How can an FOI request be made?

In writing, or email, and addressed to the FOI Officer
State clearly that the request is being made under the FOI Acts
Identify clearly the records/information sought
Specify the manner of access sought
Proof of identity will be sought before access to personal information is granted
Assistance for members of the public with special needs can be provided on request

The contact details for our FOI officer can be found under contacts.

14.Complaints About Sport Ireland

Sport Ireland aims to provide a professional service and to get things the right first time. Despite our best endeavours, we recognise that things may not always meet customer expectations. We have a standard procedure in place to ensure that we investigate your complaint fully and fairly.

What does our Complaints Procedure cover?

Complaints about issues such as delays, mistakes and poor customer service provided by Sport Ireland

The Complaints procedure does not cover?

Matters of policy, matters that are the subject of litigation or matters that have been referred to the Ombudsman or Information Commissioner and matters that relate to third party organisations.

How do I complain about Sport Ireland customer service?

If you are dissatisfied by some aspect of our service, please express this to the person with whom you are dealing with or fill out our Customer Feedback Form.
If you prefer, please ask to speak to a manager who will try to help as we aim to resolve all difficulties at "local" level where possible.
We will examine and review your complaint, acknowledging it within 5 working days and send a decision to you within 15 working days or as soon as possible following receipt of your complaint.
If you remain dissatisfied and wish to make a complaint about Sport Ireland's customer service, you can contact us and we will arrange for your complaint to be formally investigated
Complaints may be made in writing to the address under contacts or via our Customer Form link provided below under contacts.

What information do I need to provide when making a complaint?

Your name, address and telephone number and what it is you are dissatisfied with
The name of the staff members or sections that dealt with you
Copies of any relevant documentation.

How does our complaints procedure work?

We will treat your complaint properly, fairly and impartially
We promise that making a complaint will have no implications for your dealings with Sport Ireland
A staff member other than those originally involved in the initial issue, will examine your complaint.
In the event the complaint is upheld we will change the way we do things to avoid making the same mistake in future

Sport Ireland will endeavour to offer a reasonable and fair service and expect the same standards from individuals making a complaint. Illustrative examples of what we consider fair and reasonable behaviour when interacting with us are below:

Providing additional details when requested.
Recognising that there is a defined procedures in place to address matters
Recognising that there are limits to Sport Ireland’s powers under the Sport Ireland Act (2015)
Recognising that Sport Ireland cannot continue to address matters that have been dealt with comprehensively through previous engagements.
Treating staff courteously and respectfully

Sport Ireland will adopt a professional approach to engaging with all stakeholders and will expect similar standards from stakeholders.

15.Séirbhís Trí Ghaeilge

Sport Ireland aims to provide a quality service through English, Irish, or English and Irish
Customers have the right to choose which language they prefer to be dealt with in
A limited amount of information issued by Sport Ireland will be in both English and Irish
We also hope to ensure that a sufficient number of our staff are proficient in the Irish language
Tabharfar freagra as gaeilge ar chomhfreagas a gheofar i ngaeilge
Déanfar gach iarracht freastal ar fhiafraithe teileafóin i ngaeilge agus freastal ar dhaoine a thagann i láthair ar mian leo a ngnó a dhéanamh trí ghaeilge.

16.Contacts

Further Information on our customer services may be obtained from: -The Secretary, Sport Ireland, The Courtyard, Sport Ireland Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, D15 PN0N

Telephone - 01 8608800 Fax - 01 8608880

Website - www.sportireland.ie

Email – contactus@sportireland.ie

Appeals

Address - Appeals Section, Sport Ireland, The Courtyard, Sport Ireland Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, D15 PN0N

Telephone - 01 8608800 Fax - 01 8608880

Email – customerfeedback@sportireland.ie

Freedom of Information:

Address - FOI Officer, Sport Ireland, The Courtyard, Sport Ireland Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, D15 PN0N

Telephone - 01-8608800

Email-foi@sportireland.ie

Access Officer