Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Local authorities can apply to the sports capital programme and we have encouraged that. Education and training boards can also apply. It is an area which is covered by that element. While we could go into the business of financing the purchase of land, which is something I remember hearing discussed as far back as 2012 when the programme was being reintroduced, there are a number of caveats to note. It could lead to price inflation in facilities if it was known that a Government grant was available for purchases. One also gets into a whole new territory in terms of where one is going with sports capital. It is not only a question of buying land but of developing it. As such, it is a very different area. There is already a great deal of land in the ownership of agencies which is not being used at all for any purpose, and we need local authorities and agencies to be as resourceful as possible with assets they already have. The programme is open to them.

Deputy Munster asked also about the scoring system. We published the scoring system from the last round and we are working to finalise the detail of the current scoring system. We want to be as fair as possible to everyone. The 2017 programme was the first sports capital programme round in which the funding announced was directly proportionate to the scores achieved by the applicants. In the case of minority sports, it is important to note that the 2017 programme was open to everybody and that for the first time ever, every valid application was approved for funding. There was no exclusion of minority sports or smaller sporting bodies and everyone who received a score got funding. It varied from county to county because of the per capitasystem. An applicant that received 80 points in Leitrim did not get the same amount as an applicant that got 80 points in Cork. That is perhaps one of the flaws of the programme and it may be that we can review it as we strengthen the scoring system. I am very proud of the 2017 programme and that we have a very transparent and accountable system in place.

I cannot read my own writing and am not sure what Deputy Munster's last question was. Perhaps the Minister might come in.