Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Generally speaking I would think yes, but obviously they would have to meet the various criteria in that regard. It is also dependent on the scale of funding. I have already accepted the Deputy's colleague's comments to the effect that the funding is not enough. We will continue to seek as much capital investment as possible. If it is required for naíonrí or other smaller facilities that were not able to access funding previously, it could be taken into account in the future, but they will also have to meet other criteria.

With regard to larger capital investment, especially in areas identified by Deputy Moynihan has having a growing population and housing developments, this is one of the reasons it is important to plan. My Department is engaged in research to determine the current and future need for that kind of capital investment. It is anticipated that this will give rise to a larger, more in-depth exercise whereby we will look at - and take into account - the issues identified by the Deputies to see how to go about setting the criteria and identifying the areas of most need.

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