Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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13. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if additional funding will be provided towards the development of sports facilities in view of the increasing financial costs incurred by clubs of all sporting disciplines in providing much needed new and upgraded facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45523/23]

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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20. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on how the sports capital programme will support sports clubs to invest in projects that will reduce their emissions and lead on climate action within their communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45594/23]

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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52. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht how the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme can assist sports clubs and national governing bodies to champion localised measures and adaption to the ongoing climate crisis and drive the adoption of positive climate action across the wider community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45549/23]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 20, 46 and 52 together.

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 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.

In terms of funding available for the development of sporting facilities, I fully recognise the increasing pressures that our sporting organisations are under. Under Budget 2024, this Government has announced an overall budget allocation of €183.3 million for sport. That is an increase of €8 million (4.6%) compared to this year. The 2024 budget for sport will allow Sport Ireland to continue to support the sport sector as it recovers from Covid-19 and other challenges around rising energy costs and cost of living increases. Recognition of the increasing pressures sports clubs face was also reflected in the significant additional grants allocated under the last round of the SCEP. Under that round alone, €166.6 million was allocated – the highest level of funding for any single round of the Programme. Over €34.5 million has been provided next year for the SCEP to cover existing commitments under the Programme.

With regard to future allocations, the latest round of the SCEP (2023) closed for applications on Friday 8 September. A preliminary examination of the submitted applications is now underway but it is clear that the Programme has again generated a very large number of applications and it is likely that the total number will exceed the previous record 3,106 applications submitted under the last (2020) round. It was open to sports clubs to apply for additional funding for a project already in receipt of an earlier SCEP allocation provided work had not already commenced.

Under this latest round a number of changes have been introduced to reflect recommendations contained in the published Review of the last round including an increased focus on sustainability issues. In this regard, the Guide to Making an Application contains comprehensive details of resources to assist sporting organisations in tackling sustainability issues. Furthermore, the Guide states that additional marks will likely be awarded to applicants who demonstrate their commitment to climate adaptation and protecting and restoring biodiversity.

Amongst the items which will be eligible for SCEP funding, as referenced in the published Guide, are bicycle shelters/storage facilities to promote active travel and sustainable drainage systems and rainwater harvesting. Modifications to sports facilities to reduce energy consumption and LED floodlighting were previously covered by the SCEP and these items continue to be eligible for funding under the 2023 round. From a community perspective, I believe that all of these measures are important in signalling the role that we all need to play in driving positive climate action.

Work is now underway on finalising the "Scoring Assessment and Assessment Manual" for the 2023 round and I hope to have it published in the coming weeks. Simultaneously, I also plan to publish the full list of all applications received by county including the relevant sport type for each application received. Once these documents are published, the detailed assessment work can commence. In this regard, it is planned to assess the "Equipment-only" applications first with a view to announcing these grants in the coming months. Work will then commence on the assessment of the capital applications with the allocations likely to be announced later in 2024. Due to the nature of the SCEP, it usually takes several months after allocation before successful applicants are actually in a position to draw down funds. Accordingly the main spend for successful applicants under this current round will be in 2025 and beyond and I will be engaging with Government colleagues in the months ahead to ensure the required funding is provided for as many worthwhile projects as possible.