Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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142. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the measures his Department is taking to identify the demand, and subsequently encourage the development of, sporting infrastructure such as swimming pools and running tracks in larger towns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22677/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Sport and physical activity are hugely important to our collective well-being and health, so it is in our national interest to promote increased participation in sport and activity at all levels, locally and nationally.

Availability and ease of access to sports facilities, whether in a club setting, on public lands or in other amenity areas, is a key factor in drawing more people to participation in sport. Planning for future facilities’ needs, locations and types is a particular focus of our current Sports Action Plan.

Local authorities have a key role in identifying and zoning land for recreational use. In turn my Department operates two relevant capital funding programmes, namely the Community Sports Facilities Fund (CSFF) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). In 2024 over a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to community sports clubs and facilities from the CSFF while grants totalling €173 million were awarded from the LSSIF. This is a an all-time record investment level in sport in Ireland.

Given the challenges of increased demand and a growing population, I consider that there is real merit in the development of municipally-backed shared facilities and I encourage sports' National Governing Bodies and local authorities to collaborate in this regard.