Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I compliment the Minister and the Minister of State on rolling out a very comprehensive sports capital programme. It is to be hoped those applications can be processed and approved at the earliest possible date. We are all aware of the huge commitment of the many volunteers in our sporting clubs across all disciplines throughout the country. People work very hard to provide coaching facilities and to ensure that young people and older people have access to the sport they wish to participate in. Even in areas where the population is smaller, there is substantial additional demand for playing facilities and playing surfaces. I come across clubs in the county where I live that do not have enough pitches for the number of teams they have. As the Minister of State said in his initial reply, the sports capital programme is very much aimed at equal participation by ladies and men. I very much welcome that. It is happening in every GAA, soccer and rugby club that I am aware of.

There are significant costs in providing new facilities. When I speak to clubs that were awarded grants a few years ago, it is unbelievable how much the costs of carrying out work have risen. When allocating and finalising approvals, I sincerely hope that up-to-date costs are factored into that assessment.

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