Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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179. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which the priority for fast growing areas in the recent allocation of Sport Capital Grants has resulted in successful applications in these communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45436/24]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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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.

In relation to this scheme, the main population indicated used in assessment was the Pobal Deprivation index as the primary calculation factor. The issue of population growth was not as relevant as all valid applications received funding.

On Monday 4 November, Minister Martin and I announced the second round of funding allocations under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). This follows the first LSSIF round of allocations announced in January 2020. The total amount of grants awarded is €173 million, benefiting 35 individual projects. With this announcement, the cumulative investment from the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund since 2020 now reaches €297 million.

All applications submitted under the LSSIF Fund were required to have the prioritised endorsement of a National Governing Body for Sport (NGB) or of a local authority. This prioritisation was one of a number of factors taken into account in the assessment and ultimate ranking of projects. The assessment and ranking of projects was also informed by factors such as population growth as well as the potential to enhance sports participation, sustainability, similar access for both men and women, and the ability to execute the project within a specified timeframe.