Written answers

Tuesday, 27 February 2024

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Sports Funding

Photo of Niamh SmythNiamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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243. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on a sports capital application (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8935/24]

Photo of Thomas ByrneThomas 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 latest round of the SCEP (2023) closed for applications on Friday 8 September, 2023. A preliminary examination of the submitted applications demonstrates that the Programme has again generated a very large number of applications. The total number of 3,210 applications, which includes the application referenced by the Deputy, exceeds the record number submitted under the last (2020) round.

The "Scoring System and Assessment Manual" for the 2023 round has been finalised and published along with a list of all applications received by county including the relevant sport type for each application received. The detailed assessment work has commenced and it is planned to assess the "equipment-only" applications first and announce these grants in the coming months. Work will then commence on assessing the capital applications with the allocations to be announced later.

Photo of Niamh SmythNiamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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244. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on a sports capital application (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8936/24]

Photo of Thomas ByrneThomas 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 latest round of the SCEP (2023) closed for applications on Friday 8 September 2023. A preliminary examination of the submitted applications demonstrates that the Programme has again generated a very large number of applications. The total number of 3,210 applications, which includes an application from the club referenced by the Deputy, exceeds the record number submitted under the last (2020) round.

The "Scoring System and Assessment Manual" for the 2023 round has been finalised and published along with a list of all applications received by county including the relevant sport type for each application received. The detailed assessment work has commenced and it is planned to assess the "equipment-only" applications first and announce these grants in the coming months. Work will then commence on assessing the capital applications with the allocations to be announced later.

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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245. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total value of SCEP applications in the current round under the equipment only category; the number of such applications per county; when he expects allocations to be made for equipment only applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9038/24]

Photo of Thomas ByrneThomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The latest round of the SCEP (2023) closed for applications on Friday 8 September 2023. A preliminary examination of the submitted applications demonstrates that the Programme has again generated a very large number of applications. The total number of 3,210 applications exceeds the record number submitted under the last (2020) round.

The "Scoring System and Assessment Manual" for the 2023 round has been finalised and published along with a list of all applications received by county including the relevant sport type for each application received. The detailed assessment work has commenced and it is planned to assess the "equipment-only" applications first and announce these grants in the coming months. Work will then commence on assessing the capital applications with the allocations to be announced later. Applications are still at assessment stage and currently there are 896 confirmed equipment only applications seeking €26.8 million. These figures are subject to change as the assessment process continues.

The following is the current number of applications per county (subject to change as outlined above):

Carlow 15

Cavan 10

Clare 29

Cork 105

Donegal 47

Dublin 169

Galway 53

Kerry 42

Kildare 28

Kilkenny 24

Laois 19

Leitrim 8

Limerick 41

Longford 11

Louth 18

Mayo 30

Meath 26

Monaghan 15

Offaly 19

Roscommon 17

Sligo 24

Tipperary 29

Waterford 28

Westmeath 30

Wexford 33

Wicklow 26

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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246. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if an application (details supplied) in County Kerry for the SCEP will be categorised as equipment only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9039/24]

Photo of Thomas ByrneThomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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 latest round of the SCEP (2023) closed for applications on Friday 8 September 2023. A preliminary examination of the submitted applications demonstrates that the Programme has again generated a very large number of applications. The total number of 3,210 applications, including the application referred to by the Deputy, exceeds the record number submitted under the last (2020) round.

The "Scoring System and Assessment Manual" for the 2023 round has been finalised and published along with a list of all applications received by county including the relevant sport type for each application received. The detailed assessment work has commenced and it is planned to assess the "equipment-only" applications first and announce these grants in the coming months. Work will then commence on assessing the capital applications with the allocations to be announced later.

As part of the assessment process officials are examining if applications have been submitted under the appropriate category and will change the categorisation if appropriate.

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