Written answers
Tuesday, 14 February 2023
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Sports Funding
Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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224. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extra funding being allocated to increase participation in swimming, tennis and so on over the next two to three years. [7314/23]
Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards. This includes the allocation of funding to the sporting organisations, across its various programmes.
Sport Ireland's core funding allocations to National Governing Bodies of Sport for 2023 were announced today (14 February) and are available on Sport Ireland's website www.sportireland.ie
Government funding for Sport Ireland is allocated on an annual basis in line with the annual Budget process. Core funding for National Governing Bodies is accordingly allocated on an annual basis.
Increasing participation in sport is a key target in the National Sports Policy 2018-2027 and the Government will continue to support National Governing Bodies in achieving our aim to have 60% of the population regularly participating in sport by 2027.
Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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225. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide an update on the sports capital and equipment grants in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7348/23]
Thomas Byrne (Meath East, 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 final set of allocations were announced on Tuesday 31 May last year and the total allocation of €166.6 million for the 2020 round represents the highest level of allocation ever made under the SCEP.
Following completion of the 2020 round, my Department commenced a full review of all aspects of the 2020 iteration of the SCEP. A draft of the Review is complete and I have received a copy. I expect to be in a position to publish this Review shortly. Any recommendations arising from the finalised Review will be reflected in the next round. Furthermore, my officials are engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the next round of the Programme. Once this process is concluded, I will announce the exact dates from which new applications will be accepted.
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