Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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210. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when she expects an announcement on allocations in respect of the latest rounds of the large-scale sporting infrastructure fund; the budget that will be available to her; what demand exists in respect of valid applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42319/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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The National Sports Policy 2018 – 2027 provided for the establishment of a new Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) with the aim of providing support to sports facilities where the Exchequer investment is greater than the maximum amount available under the SCEP.

Earlier this year Minister Martin and I announced funding of up to €120 million under the new round of the LSSIF which closed for applications on 1 July 2024.

Assessment of applications is at an advanced stage and has taken 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. I expect to confirm allocations under this round of LSSIF in the coming weeks.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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211. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the budget that will be available to her to allocate to successful appellants under the latest round of the sports capital and equipment programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42320/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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On 25 September, Minister Martin and I announced €230 million in grants for sports clubs and facilities under phase 2 of the Community Sport Facilities Fund (formerly the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme).

Over a quarter of a billion euro has been allocated to community sports clubs and facilities in 2024, taking account of the earlier equipment-only allocation of €26 million, with a total investment of €256 million. This will facilitate the largest-ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland.

An initial sum of €4m has been provided to address the costs of grants arising from successful appeals. This will be kept under review as the appeals process progresses.