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

It is of interest to many people. I thank Deputy Carey. I propose to take Question Nos. 73, 95, 103, 123 and 131 together.

The sports capital and equipment programme is the primary vehicle for the Government's support for the development of sports and recreational facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocation to over €1 billion. On 30 November, we announced a new round of the programme with at least €40 million available. The original closing date was 12 February 2021 but in view of the difficulties some applicants were encountering as a result of Covid restrictions, the deadline was extended to 1 March 2021. By the closing date, there were over 3,000 applications with an ask of over €200 million in funding. This is highest number of applications ever received.

A scoring system and assessment procedures were finalised and published prior to assessment and all applications have been assessed in accordance with these procedures. Approximately 1,000 of the submitted applications were for equipment-only grants. These applications were assessed first and grants with a total value of €16.6 million were announced on 6 August 2021.

Regarding funding available to allocate, I am pleased that following the completion of the 2022 budget discussions, a significant amount has been provided for the sports capital equipment programme in 2022, which represents an increase on the 2021 allocation. In the Revised Estimates, over €6 million has been carried forward from 2021. This will cover all existing applications under older rounds of the programme but will also allow for significant new allocations in the coming weeks. Furthermore, I am in discussions with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, regarding maximising the total funding envelope available for the programme and I expect to conclude that process very shortly.

Every effort will be made to fund as many worthwhile projects as possible, while providing a sufficient level of grants to ensure that projects are viable. Regarding the funding available to allocate, as I said there is a carryover from last year and that will assist us in the total envelope that is available. All unsuccessful applicants will also be given the opportunity to appeal the decision of the Department and information in that regard will be issued when the grants are announced. We expect to conclude the overall process very shortly.

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