Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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680. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the various applicants to which sports capital grants were awarded will have the time within which they are required to complete their respective projects extended by approximately 18 months in order to facilitate the restoration of their voluntary fundraising activities which were impacted by Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12980/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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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.  A flexible approach to allowing grantees sufficient time to  drawdown their grants has always been adopted.  Grantees are given a minimum of 2 years to draw down grants and extensions are routinely given where genuine efforts are being made to progress projects. 

My Department understands the difficulties that may be encountered by certain clubs as a result of COVID 19. Accordingly, any club requiring an extension to the timeframe to drawdown funding should contact the Sports Capital Programme division of the Department and I expect any such reasonable requests will be accommodated.