Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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627. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will clarify the position in respect of clubs that have been previously awarded grants; if their chances of receiving a grant in future applications is diminished in view of previous awards (details supplied); if she will provide a guidance note in respect of the application process to this Deputy in order to assist clubs in County Kildare with their application in view of the volume of queries the Deputy receives; and her plans to reform and or simplify the application process [18874/21]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) 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 2020 round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1^stMarch. By the closing date, 3,106 applications were submitted seeking over €200m in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received.

The scoring system and assessment procedures for the 2020 round are nearing finalisation and will be published before the detailed assessment of individual applications commences. Previous funding received by a club is a consideration when assessing applications. Marks are awarded to applicants that have not received generous funding in the past and this is designed to help new clubs and organisations access funding.

In relation to the application process itself, a detailed guide to making an application is available at www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie. This site also contains a video guide to completing the application form, a "Frequently Asked Questions" section and the scoring system used for previous rounds of the programme. Significant improvements have been made to the programme in recent years including the streamlining of the application form, the introduction of a 2nd chance facility for invalid applications and an appeals system for unsuccessful applicants. If the Deputy has any questions, the Department officials are very happy to assist her.