Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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1071. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if consideration has been given to a multi-annual programme of sports capital grants (details supplied). [24687/18]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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The Sports Capital Programme (SCP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. The Programme operated on an annual basis up to and including 2008. There were also Programmes in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

The recently published National Development Plan reaffirms the Government’s commitment to sport infrastructure in the years ahead. At least €100 m in capital funding will be provided for the SCP for the coming four years. This will cover all of our existing commitments and also allow new rounds of the programme to open for applications. Formal sanction for the first new round of the programme has now been received from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and I expect to make an announcement in relation to a new 2018 round of the programme in the coming weeks. Further rounds of the SCP will be open in subsequent years. It will be open to any organisation with a suitable project to apply for funding under this round of the programme and all organisations that are registered on the Department's online application system will be informed of the new round when it is open for applications.

With regard to how applicants plan their projects, many organisations complete their projects in phases using grants from several rounds of the SCP. While grantees are normally given a two year timeframe to begin the draw down of their grants, the Department would extend this period where a grantee has made significant progress with their project.

Finally, the upcoming National Sports Policy, which will be considered by Government in the coming weeks, and published shortly thereafter, will include a specific focus on how Government should fund sports facilities, including through the SCP, in the years ahead.