Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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166. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which it is intended to offer grant assistance to major and minor sporting activities throughout the country, affecting all sporting activities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37252/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards. This includes the allocation of current funding to sporting organisations across its various programmes, and to the Local Sports Partnerships.

On 21 March, Minister Martin and I were delighted to announce a record investment of almost €30 million in core funding support to sporting organisations, through Sport Ireland, for 2024. €17.3 million is being invested in the National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) this year and this represents an increase of €1.3 million on the 2023 figure.

Investment in the network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) has increased by €1 million, with a total investment of €11.4 million being allocated, across the 29 LSPs.

In total, this represents the highest-ever level of core investment into NGBs and LSPs, with an increase in funding of almost €11.9 million, over the lifecycle of the National Sports Policy 2018-2027.

Details of funding allocated to individual NGBs, LSPs and other sporting organisations is available here:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/bb256-funding-allocated-to-individual-ngbs-lsps-and-other-sporting-organisations/

With regard to capital support, 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.

On 9 May 2024, Minister Martin and I announced over €26 million in equipment-only grants under the latest round (2023) of the SCEP. The grants have been provisionally allocated to organisations across the country representing over fifty sports and activities.

On 29 May 2024, Minister Martin and I were pleased to confirm at least €250 million is to be made available for capital projects under this SCEP round. This record allocation will facilitate the largest-ever investment in sports facilities across the country.

This record funding is on foot of positive engagement on revised allocations for the National Development Plan with the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe.

The SCEP funding now available represents a 50% increase on the funding allocated in early 2022, under the 2020 round of the SCEP, and it should mean positive allocation decisions for all valid applications under the current 2023 programme.

The assessment of funding applications for capital projects is now at an advanced stage and I expect to announce allocations soon.

The Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was established in 2020 to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, where the Exchequer investment would be greater than the maximum amount available under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme.

To date, €124 million has been allocated to large sports infrastructure projects nationwide and a further €120 million has been allocated for a new round of LSSIF funding, the assessment of which, is currently underway.