Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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A fundamental aim of the Government’s National Sports Policy 2018-2027 is to increase the levels of participation in sport and physical activity across the population, with a specific focus on less represented groups including women and girls. A lot of good progress is being made, not just in terms of increasing participation by women and girls but also in the important areas of leadership and management roles in sport. Since the introduction of the Women in Sport Programme in 2005, the participation gradient between females and males has reduced from 15.7% to 5% in 2022. Further narrowing and ultimate elimination of the gradient remains the policy objective.

In the 2023 Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) 'Guide to Making an Application’, a new rule was introduced in relation to access to facilities for both local projects and regional projects. In relation to applications for local projects which accommodate both men and women, applicants that do not provide access to their facilities, on similar terms, to men and women will not be eligible for capital funding under SCEP. Applications for local projects that do not benefit both men and women will not be eligible for capital funding unless there are alternative similar facilities available locally.

Furthermore, under SCEP, in relation to applications for national/regional projects, applicants were required to set out their facility access policy which provides for similar access for men and women. However, as one of the stated objectives of the SCEP is to increase female participation, all applications (i.e. local and regional) for funding of women-only facilities will be deemed valid for consideration.

Minister Martin and I recently announced that a new round of the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund will open for applications in the first half of 2024, with the dates, terms and conditions to be published on the Department’s website, in due course. For the first time, it will be a requirement for all successful applicants to publish their Similar Access Policy, in respect of men and women having access to the facilities on similar terms in order for LSSIF funding to be drawn down.