Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The sports capital programme is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 12,000 projects have benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocation since that time to close to €1 billion. The programme has transformed the sporting landscape of Ireland, with improvements in the quality and quantity of sporting facilities in virtually every village, town and city in the country.

The programme for Government commits to continuing the sports capital programme and prioritising the investment in disadvantaged areas. The most recent round of sports capital grants in 2018 attracted a record 2,337 applications. Allocations were announced in January, May and November of last year, with a total of over €56 million awarded to 1,648 different projects. All unsuccessful applications were given the opportunity to appeal the Department’s decision. On the capital grants announced in November, a total of 122 appeals were submitted by the December deadline. The review of these appeals was completed in April with six new allocations approved. The priority in the short to medium term is to advance all of these projects to ensure the facilities are available for use and the relevant grants are drawn down. In this regard, work has been ongoing to advance previously allocated grants, with over €20 million paid out to 800 different sports clubs and groups so far this year.

To deal with the Deputy’s specific question on future rounds of the programme, a full review of the 2018 round of the sports capital programme has now been completed. The terms and conditions of the next round of the programme are being finalised based on the recommendations of the review. I expect that to open shortly. We are committed to a sports capital programme opening for applications over the coming period. The review has been completed and we are finalising the process and application criteria. There is a commitment to do that. The programme for Government is strong on the sports capital projects and their importance for all our local communities.

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