Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Of course it is not enough. We would love to have more for the sports capital grants. It is definitely not enough in terms of the appetite we have seen from the level of applications. I can give the Deputy some figures. The Department received 2,320 applications in respect of the 2017 sports capital grants, seeking a total of €155 million in payments. Applications are currently being assessed. This process will take a number of months to complete due to the number of applications received and the detailed information contained in each. I think we will be making allocations to the value of €30 million later in the year. This means that four applications out of five will be unsuccessful. I do not know how many will be assessed as being out of order, not fully completed or containing flaws, which has happened in previous years. I think that it is better this time because the process has been much simpler. We should not expect most people to be happy. They are not going to be, that is the reality. The appetite has been very strong indeed, which indicates there is probably a need for more.