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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 15, 25, 31, 46 and 53 together.

The sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreational facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment. It is the policy of the Department after every round of the sports capital programme that we undertake a review and make recommendations as to changes. The criteria for any next round will be considered once we have gone through this round.

More than €1 billion in funding has been provided in total under the sports capital programme, which is a huge amount. In the latest round, €166.6 million was provided. This round closed for applications on 8 September. We set out a number of changes. We increased the thresholds at local and regional level to €200,000 and €500,000, respectively. We specifically reward projects that include adaptations for people with disabilities. We prioritise areas witnessing significant population growth. We reward projects that incorporate climate action measures. We make it very clear that the achievement by the governing bodies of sport of a 40% gender balance target will be a consideration when individual grants are being allocated.

I urge sporting organisations to be aware of the problems. Every week, I visit sports facilities or hear from sports clubs, women sports clubs in particular, that they do not have access to facilities on the same basis as men. They do not have similar pitch times or, in many cases, women's clubs are charged a rent but men's clubs are not. To be absolutely clear, a change I made this time is that there will be zero funding for facilities where that is the case. People seem to be in denial about this, but it is going to have to end. Otherwise, the Government cannot provide funding under programmes like this.

Some months ago, I met members of a soccer club which had to facilitate a ladies Gaelic football club because it could not get access to the local GAA pitch. This is happening all too frequently and it has to stop. We will not fund it.

The Minister and I were pleased to confirm yesterday that at least €250 million will be made available under this round of the sports capital and equipment programme. This is on foot of positive engagement with the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe. This will mean that there will be many more facilities – pitches, floodlights, halls, dressing rooms and improvements to swimming pools - all around Ireland.

I expect allocations to be announced in the autumn, but we have said that every valid application will be successful in that they will receive a grant at some level. It is very important that if clubs receive any queries from the Department over the summer, they deal with them positively in order that their application will be deemed valid.

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