Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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158. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will report on the operation of the large-scale sports infrastructure fund. [34925/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was established under the National Sports Policy, published on 25 July 2018, to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, typically those requiring investments greater than the maximum available under the Sports Capital & Equipment Programme (SCP).

The first allocations under LSSIF were announced in January 2020 with €86.4 million awarded to 33 different projects. Additional funding of €37.6 million was allocated to 27 of these projects in December 2023, bringing the total awarded under LSSIF 2018 to €124 million.

In 2024, the second LSSIF round received an unprecedented demand for funding, amounting to €665 million from 96 applications. Grants totalling €173 million , benefiting 35 individual projects, were allocated under this round in November 2024. With this announcement, the cumulative investment from the LSSIF now reaches €297 million.

With regard to a future round of the LSSIF, I am committed to ensuring sustained investment in sports facilities to meet our ambitious goals for sports participation nationwide. 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.

My current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF, 2019 and 2024, and this process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round. I would expect however that the period of time to a future LSSIF round will be less than the period of time between the first and second rounds.