Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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253. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs for details of funding available, to be administered via local authorities, from the capital grant funding scheme 2016; for details of any additional funding she may be considering making available to support new and existing play and recreation facilities for children and young persons, in particular in the Kildare North area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15259/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The provision of play and recreation facilities is primarily a matter for Local Authorities. My Department administers a Capital Grant Funding Scheme for Play and Recreation. The Schemewas introduced in 2013 to support new and existing play and recreation facilities for children and young people. The total amount of funding available in 2016 is €250,000, with a maximum grant of €20,000 to any Local Authority.

Applications are invited for projects providing:

- New and innovative play and recreation spaces and facilities (New and innovative projects can include new facilities, equipment, designs and /or the utilisation of non- traditional play spaces);

- Refurbishment or upgrading of existing play and recreation spaces and facilities.

Funding criteria for the Scheme were developed in conjunction with the Local Area Play and Recreation Network (LAPRN), a group established in 2012 to introduce a more coordinated and interagency approach to achieving the main goals of the play and recreation policies, at both national and local level. The following criteria were required for each application:

- Play and recreation spaces and facilities must be available for use by all children and young people in the locality at times when they are free to use them i.e. outside of school hours;

- All facilities and equipment must be accessibleto children and young people with additional needs;

- All facilities and equipment must be youth-friendly and safe;

- All projects funded under the scheme must provide evidence, or a commitment to providing evidence, that children and young people have been or will be consulted about the project for which funding is requested;

- All projects funded under the scheme must provide confirmation that No Smoking signage will be displayed in play spaces and facilities funded under this scheme.

Applications must also include a commitment to matched funding by the Local Authority in which the facility is located.

2016 was a very competitive year for applications under the DCYA Capital Grant Scheme for Play and Recreation. A total of 47 applications from 26 Local Authorities were received. 19 awards were made, varying in amount from €1,000 to €20,000. An application was received from Kildare County but was not successful.