Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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259. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when his Department will adjudicate on the sports capital appeals; if he envisages unsuccessful clubs; and if there is a budget to deal with successful appeals. [7866/18]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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274. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which applications for capital grants that were unsuccessful in 2017 for various reasons will be examined with a view to possible accommodation in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8011/18]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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276. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he will engage with applicants for sports capital grants that were deemed invalid in 2017 with a view to possible success in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8013/18]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 259, 274 and 276 together.

The 2017 round of the Sports Capital Programme (SCP) closed for applications on the 24th February. In November and December last, Minister Ross and I announced €60m in allocations to a record 1,800 projects under the round. Full details of all of these allocations are available on my Department's website.

In relation to invalid applications, several improvements were introduced for the 2017 programme to improve the application process. Measures included a significantly shortened application form, more on-line validation of applications and the hosting of a series or regional seminars for potential applicants. These measures were generally successful with the proportion of invalid applications falling from over one third in previous rounds to one fifth in 2017.

Following the announcement of the allocations, all applicants that were deemed invalid or partially invalid were invited to appeal the Department’s decision if it was felt than an error had been made in the assessment process. The deadline for the submission of appeals from applicants for local projects was 20 December 2017 and in relation to regional projects the deadline was 19 January 2018. 149 appeals were submitted prior to the deadline and decisions on these submissions are now being finalised. Decisions in relation to how to redress any successful appeals, including funding for same, will be taken once this work is complete and I expect that all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their appeal in the coming weeks.

Separately, my Department is undertaking a more general review of the 2017 round of the programme including all invalid applications where incorrect or incomplete documentation was submitted. I expect this review to be complete in the coming months and an announcement regarding the next round of the SCP will be made at that stage.