Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 13 , 24, 26, 39, 43 and 44 together.

The sports capital and equipment 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 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations to over €1.15 billion. The programme for Government commits to continuing the sports capital programme and to prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas and groups that are currently underrepresented in terms of participation.

The 2023 round of the sports capital programme closed for applications on 8 September. The round contained a number of changes from previous rounds. We increased the thresholds for local and regional grants to €200,000 and €500,000, respectively. We are specifically rewarding projects which include adaptations for persons with disabilities. We are prioritising applications from areas witnessing significant population growth. We are rewarding projects which incorporate climate action measures. We are including upgrades to swimming pools. There are greater linkages between the level of own funding required. The 40% gender balance at national board level has to be complied with, or else there will be a 50% cut. Also, every facility that gets funding from this Government will have to have similar access for men and women. Examination of the submitted applications demonstrates the 2023 programme generated a large number of applications.

A Leas-Chathaoirligh, the clock seems slightly different than normal.

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