Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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750.To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if, following the opening of several new running tracks in south Dublin over the past number of years, at Kilbogget Park, Cabinteely, Dundrum, and UCD, and the success of Irish athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she has any plans to provide a new 400-metre running track in north Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[35240/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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My Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). The 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. The LSSIF provides support for larger sports facility projects where the Exchequer investment would be greater than the maximum amount available under the SCEP.

Under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme a total of €3.9 million was allocated to athletics under the 2020 round. The current 2023 round of the programme has seen €1.6 million allocated in equipment-only funding to athletics applications and assessments are currently underway in relation to the capital funding element of the 2023 programme. Under the Large Scale Sport infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) a total of €24,019,701 has been allocated to athletics projects under the first round of the fund.

The Minister, Deputy Martin and I announced funding of up to €120 million under the new round of the LSSIF (LSSIF 2024) which closed for applications on 1 July 2024. Assessment of applications, for funding of between €600,000 and €30 million, will take into account such factors as population size, sustainability and ensuring that similar access is provided to accommodate access by men and women to LSSIF-funded facilities.

The initial assessment of LSSIF applications is now underway and it is clear that this round of the LSSIF has generated significantly more applications and a much higher volume of demand than the first round. I can confirm that a number of athletics proposals have been submitted under LSSIF 2024, the details of which will be published in due course.