Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----and we should examine areas in which we can do better. We have the facilities. We are surrounded by water and there is no reason we cannot have more success in these sports at international level. I have asked the Irish Sports Council to review the Olympics and the Paralympics to determine where we did well, where we could do better and where our strengths lie, particularly in the high performance areas. We need to target those areas. People talk about how well we did in boxing. The reason we did well is that the Government put money into the high performance areas. In all the other events, the Government has put money into high performance areas and it has worked very well.

I will give the remainder of my reply and if the Senator has any questions following that I will try to answer them. I thank the Senator for raising this issue. Senators will be aware that the sports capital programme is the main channel of Government support for developing sports facilities and purchasing sports equipment for sports clubs and organisations across Ireland. This programme aims to foster an integrated and planned approach to developing sports and physical recreation facilities throughout the country. In particular, its objectives are to assist voluntary and community organisations, national governing bodies of sport, vocational education committees and local authorities in developing high quality, safe, well designed and sustainable facilities in appropriate locations and in providing appropriate equipment to help maximise participation in sport and physical recreation; to prioritise the needs of disadvantaged areas in the provision of sports facilities; and to encourage multi-purpose use of local, regional and national sports facilities by clubs, community organisations and national governing bodies of sport.

On 28 March this year I launched the first round of the sports capital programme for four years. The launch of the first round of the programme since 2008 demonstrates the Government's commitment to encouraging more people to take part in sport. Every pitch drained, every sports hall refurbished and every piece of equipment purchased allows more people to participate in sport to their maximum potential.

The deadline for applications has passed and my problem is that 2,350 applications have been received, seeking almost €230 million in funding. Only €30 million is available for allocations under this round of the programme. It is clear that the level of demand for grants far outstrips supply. This shows great enthusiasm for the sports capital programme, but it means we will be able to allocate only a fraction of the funding sought. It also means that the assessment process is particularly difficult and it will be much later in the year before we are in a position to announce the allocations being made under this round of the programme. It is beyond doubt that assessment of the applications is a very difficult task. That has always been the case, but this year it will be more difficult than ever. This is the first round of the sports capital programme since 2008 and clubs and community groups have been waiting for this moment with much anticipation.

In every parish in every county there are people giving their time and energy to sporting activities and many of them are working very hard to provide or improve facilities that are fit for purpose and accessible. We would love to support every deserving project, but the harsh reality of life is that there are limits to what we can do. That is the reason expectations have to be realistic. The outcome of this process is that there is a huge demand for funding and while it is great to have secured funding of €30 million, when that funding is allocated there will be a large number of disappointed applicants. That is the problem with which we are faced.

Regarding the application referred to by the Senator, the position, as with all other applications, is that there is a process under way whereby the applications are being assessed by departmental officials against assessment criteria. The process aims to target the projects with the most merit while also achieving a geographical spread of funding, as well as a fair spread of funding across different sports. I want to ensure the funding goes across all sports. When the assessment process is completed later in the year, the assessments will be submitted for ministerial approval. That was also the process in previous years. In that context, it would be inappropriate to comment on the merits or otherwise of any one particular application.