Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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231. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if a matter raised by a club (details supplied) in correspondence will be expedited; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47662/21]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The club referred to by the Deputy was provisionally allocated a grant of €53,595 under the 2018 Sports Capital Programme (SCP) to resurface existing all weather courts and develop an existing grass training area. In accordance with the terms and conditions of the SCP, it is necessary to put in place a number of legal protections to best safeguard the public investment in the facility. The Chief State Solicitor's Office (CSSO) has been engaging with the grantee’s solicitor since June 2020 in this regard. I understand the most recent request issued from the CSSO to the grantee’s solicitor on 7th September but a response has not yet been received. Legal formalities in relation to this grant cannot be finalized until this outstanding documentation is received. It will not be possible to provide formal approval of the grant until the CSSO confirms that all legal formalities have been completed. Once the CSSO receives the outstanding documentation and confirms receipt of same, there will be no undue delay on my Department’s part in paying the grant.

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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232. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will establish a fund from which clubs can seek additional amounts under the sports capital programme to meet soaring costs given the substantial escalation in building costs over the past 12 months and the fact that here is currently no facility for a grantee to apply to have their grant amount increased which is putting many projects that were awarded funding under previous sports capital programmes in jeopardy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47681/21]

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 1st March 2021. By the closing date, over 3,100 applications were submitted seeking over €200m in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received.

The scoring system and assessment procedures were published earlier this year and all applications are being assessed accordingly. Approximately one thousand of the submitted applications were for 'equipment-only' projects. These applications were assessed first and grants with a total value of €16.6m were announced on the 6th August. The remaining applications for capital works are now being assessed with allocations expected to be announced before the end of this year. Every effort will be made to fund as many worthwhile projects as possible while providing a sufficient level of grant to ensure the projects are viable.

As to whether previously awarded grants could be increased, it is important to note that grants awarded under the SCEP are intended to be a contribution towards the overall cost of a project, rather than the full cost of the project, and it is a requirement that all grantees have sufficient of their own resources to complete a project. If there is a difficulty with completing a project, my Department is always available to engage with grantees who wish to scale back a project or to facilitate a "change of purpose" for an older grant. Consideration can also be given to completing projects on a phased basis whereby subsequent parts of an overall development project can be the subject of future grant applications. Any grantees who wish to pursue such an option should contact the Sports Capital Division of my Department in the first instance.