Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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48. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if there are any energy efficiency grants for sports clubs to upgrade their all-weather floodlights to LED lights or more energy-efficient lighting. [47374/22]

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 recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country.  Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.15 billion.   The Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas.

The 2020 round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1 March 2021 and by the deadline a record 3,106 applications were submitted. The total allocation of €166.6 million under the 2020 round, including €150 million for capital, represents the highest level of allocation ever made under the SCEP.  

Under the SCEP, LED floodlighting is funded and is specifically referenced in the "Guide to Making an Application", whereas non-LED floodlighting is ineligible. Under past rounds, including the latest 2020 round, many clubs were successful in receiving allocations towards sustainable improvements such as conversion to LED lights. Under the latest round, €150 million was awarded to capital projects, many of which entailed the development of floodlighting. At least €11 million has been allocated to projects which sought to, inter alia, install or improve floodlighting under the 2020 round alone.

Energy-efficiency promoting grants are also available to sporting clubs and facilities via the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Further details can be found on its website at www.seai.ie.