Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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807. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the funding available to develop a basketball court in Crumlin; the Government’s plans to support a plan (details supplied) which aims to increase the number of registered basketball players from 31,200 to 42,000 by 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12549/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the Community Sports Facilities Fund (formerly the Sports Capital and Equipment Fund) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).

On 25 September 2024, €230 million was announced in grants for sports clubs and facilities under phase 2 of the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF). Over a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to community sports clubs and facilities in total in 2024, taking account of the earlier equipment-only allocation of €26 million. This represents the largest-ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland. Over €2 million was allocated to 46 basketball projects as part of this.

The aim of the LSSIF is to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects where the Exchequer investment would be greater than the maximum amount available under the CSFF. The total investment from the LSSIF since 2020 amounts to €297 million. The second round of the LSSIF, which commenced in April 2024, received an unprecedented demand for funding, amounting to €665 million from 96 submissions. On 4 November 2024, grants totalling €173 million were announced, benefiting 35 individual projects. As a result of this significant demand, a range of valid applications did not receive an LSSIF allocation at the initial allocation stage. In relation to LSSIF applications which have not received an allocation, it should be noted that a reserve list is being prepared by the Department, on which all remaining valid applications will be assessed and placed in a prioritised order. As additional LSSIF funding becomes available, projects on the reserve list should then be able to be funded.

Regarding a new round of the LSSIF, I am committed to ensuring sustained investment in sports facilities to meet our ambitious goals for sports participation nationwide. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the Programme for Government commits to maintaining sports funding to get more people participating in all levels of sport, particularly targeting cohorts in society where there are lower than average participation levels including people with disabilities and older people. As such, I welcome individual sports' strategic plans that have a particular emphasis on increasing grassroots participation.

In terms of wider support to the sports ecosystem, the National Sports Policy 2018-2027 committed the Government to doubling funding in sport to more than €220 million by 2027, compared to 2018 levels. This target has been reached two years ahead of schedule, with Budget 2025 having allocated over €230 million for sport, an increase of €21 million from the 2024 allocation of €209 million.