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

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na Seanadóirí. I thank the Senators for raising this matter. As they have outlined, the sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreational facilities and the also very important purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. More than 13,000 projects have benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to in excess of €1.15 billion. I think we will all agree that the SCEP has transformed the sporting landscape with improved sports facilities in every town and village in the country funded by the scheme. The programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to targeting the investment in disadvantaged areas. I am determined to see the improved investment levels continuing in the years ahead. We are also looking at areas which have a lack of facilities. That is very important as well.

A total subhead allocation of in excess of €34.5 million has been provided this year. This funding is used to advance many of the grants awarded funding under the latest round of the programme.Although it was announced last year, the previous round started in 2020, which means it is slightly longer than biannual at this stage. Only a small proportion of that money has been spent because of issues to do with the Covid pandemic and because it generally takes time for projects to get off the ground. However, we are now starting to see a lot of that money being spent.

The final grants under that round were announced in May last year and the total allocation, as the Senators alluded to, was a record €166.6 million, which is the highest ever made. The priority in the short term is to advance successful applications to formal approval and grant drawdown and then to see those facilities put in place. The Department is constantly supporting and guiding grantees to that end. To be fair to the Department, it has a very good telephone contact system that allows anybody to make a call to inquire about clubs. Senators are welcome to use it to ask about particular facilities and help the process along.

The Senators asked about the timing of the next round of sports capital funding. Following each round, a full review is undertaken to identify any aspects of the application and allocation process that might need to be improved. The Department conducted this full review of all aspects of the 2020 round. The officials have provided a draft of that review to me and I have redrafted it. I hope to be in a position to finalise and publish it shortly. Among the various recommendations, the bottom line is the provision of more facilities. We have eased up the process substantially for applicants. In particular, we are looking towards ensuring equality in sports and equality of access to facilities. We are also looking at areas in which there is a deficit of facilities, alongside the traditional and important focus on disadvantaged areas.

Meanwhile, my officials and I are also engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform on the funding required to launch the next cycle of the sports capital programme. A formal request to open the next round has been sent to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe. There is good ongoing engagement with his Department and once that engagement is concluded, I will announce the exact dates from which new applications will be accepted. I am hopeful of having matters concluded shortly. I will continue to make the case for maximising the total funding envelope available for the programme in the years ahead. The level of demand will be a key determinant. Every effort will be made to fund as many worthwhile projects as possible, while providing a sufficient level of funding to ensure individual projects seeking support are viable.