Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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148. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he evaluates the need for the promotion and development of sporting and recreational facilities, with a view to ensuring a fair and equitable distribution of such facilities, and with particular reference to the need to encourage more young persons to participate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9304/16]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Sports Capital Programme  (SCP) is the Government’s primary vehicle for supporting the development of sports facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment.  While the terms and conditions of the SCP are subject to change from time to time, a three stage assessment process has recently been used to assess applications (i.e. applications received under the 2015 SCP).

All applications received are assessed by officials in the Department.  Every application is assessed by one official and reviewed by another official.  Applications are first checked to ensure eligibility and eligible applications are then initially scored by officials against five criteria designed to give higher scores to applications: (i) that would increase participation including by the sharing of facilities; (ii) that are from designated disadvantaged areas; (iii) that had not received substantial funding in the past and (iv) that are in a position to be progressed quickly.

In deciding the final allocations of funding to projects within each county, regard is paid to a number of factors, including:

- The performance of each application during the assessment process

- Ensuring a geographical spread of projects within each county

- Ensuring an appropriate spread of projects between rural and urban areas within each county and

- Ensuring that there is a spread of projects among different sports

For the 2012, 2014 and 2015 rounds of the Programme it was decided that counties that had fared less well under previous rounds of the programme would receive more money per capita than counties that had previously received more than their per capita share.

It is also important to note that the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme (LASPP) is another means by which the Department assists in the promotion of participation in sport through the development of sporting and recreational facilities.  In January of this year, the Department contacted local authorities and sought expressions of interest in a limited round of swimming pool allocations, subject to funding becoming available from other projects where those projects would not be progressed.  There were three expressions of interest received for new pools, two of which were valid and both in Dublin. Having assessed existing commitments and the funding available (including funding that will become available from withdrawn projects) it is considered prudent to progress one additional new pool project.  Following consideration of the expressions of interest, and the two valid proposals for new pools, I have included a proposal from South Dublin County Council (SDCC) for a new swimming pool in Lucan in the LASPP.