John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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525. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment for an update on progress within his Department on the programme for Government Commitment to conduct a nationwide audit of sports facilities to address shortages in areas underserved, including towns with populations of over 1,500; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51337/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government sets out an ambitious future for sport in Ireland where equality of access and opportunity is paramount to everything we do.

The need to catalogue sports facilities to address shortages in areas that are currently underserved was first raised in the National Sports Policy 2018 – 2027 which recognised the importance of having an up-to-date database of sports facilities as the basis for a more long-term planned approach to facility investment. With a clear picture of what facilities were available and where, not only would it give the public more information in making decisions, it would help inform future phases of the Community Sports Facility Fund (CSSF) and the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund.

As for the next round of the CSFF, in line with previous rounds a review of the current funding round will be undertaken and that review will inform the timing of the next round of the CSFF. However, I would anticipate that the next round should be announced in 2026.

Get Ireland Active was launched in October 2023 and represents the first phase of a comprehensive national database of sports facilities. The database currently consists of more than 15,000 opportunities to be active across the country, including with sports and recreation facilities, public places such as playgrounds and trails for walking, running and biking. Additionally, other data – such as the Pobal Deprivation Index – can be overlaid on the database to identify areas that are under/over-served.

A companion mobile phone application has now been developed and is publicly available to download from both the Apple App and Google Play stores. It enables mobile access to the database with the aim of helping people of all ages, abilities and fitness levels to get active and take full advantage of amenities around them.

The database is currently undergoing further development and, once complete, Sport Ireland intends to launch a promotional campaign to raise awareness of Get Ireland Active and the benefits that it can offer.