Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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13. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the degree to which his Department has engaged with various community and sporting recreational groups previously awarded funding under the sports capital programme that subsequently wish to apply the funding to an alternative aspect of their proposed development which required a separate permission; if all such cases have been resolved satisfactorily; the number outstanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37852/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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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. Over 11,500 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to close to €1 billion.  The programme has transformed the sporting landscape of Ireland with improvements in the quality and quantity of sporting facilities in virtually every village, town and city in the country.

The 2018 round of the programme opened for applications on 7th September and all applications must be submitted by the 19th of October. Officials from my Department are always willing to discuss existing grants or potential applications with sports clubs and groups. Organisations who receive a grant and subsequently wish to use the funding awarded for a different purpose can be accommodated so long as the revised purpose is consistent with the original application and the general terms and conditions of the SCP. Numerous such requests have been accommodated in the past across all counties. Any club considering changing the purpose of a grant should contact the SCP division of my Department in the first instance. 

It is also open to any organisation with an existing grant to apply for funding under the 2018 round of the SCP for new sports capital works or sports equipment.  While the amount of funding received in the past is factored into the score obtained at assessment stage, applicants with an existing SCP grant do not need to have any approval from the Department prior to making a new application.