Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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When the 2017 Sports Capital Programme was advertised my Department issued a guide to filling out the application form which set out the minimum requirements that applicants had to meet to be considered for funding. My Department made significant efforts to streamline and simplify the application process on this occasion in order to try and reduce the number of invalid application. Amongst the measures introduced to reduce the number of invalid applications were the following:

- Simplification of the application form from 14 pages to 6

- The organisation of regional workshops to assist applicants completing the form

- Relaxation of rules around planning permission and quotations at application stage (requirements still stand before any grants will be paid)

Under previous rounds of the Programme typically one third of all applications were deemed invalid. For the 2017 round, this was reduced this to one in five. For the first time, invalid applicants were also given the opportunity to appeal the decision to make them invalid and the review of such appeals is now underway. My Department is also undertaking a more general review of all invalid applications including those where incorrect or incomplete documentation was submitted. Improvements to further reduce the level of invalid applications under future rounds of the programme will be taken once these reviews are complete.