John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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260. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the next round of the sports capital funding will be announced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8178/23]

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. Thousands of projects have been completed under the scheme and the Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas.

The final grants under the latest round were announced 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.

Details of all allocations, on a county basis, can be found on the Department's website.

The priority in the short term is to advance the successful applications to "formal approval" and grant drawdown stage.

Following completion of the appeal process, my Department commenced a full review of all aspects of the 2020 round of the SCEP. A draft of the Review is complete and I met with the Review team recently to finalise this work. 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 SCEP. Once this process is concluded, I will announce the exact dates from which new applications will be accepted.

In relation to funding, I will continue to engage with my Government colleagues to maximise the total funding envelope available for the Programme in the years ahead. Clearly the level of demand will be a key determinant but 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.