Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 February 2022
207. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if there are plans to announce a further round of sports capital funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8949/22]
View answer209. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when the next round of sports capital grants will be open for applications. [8961/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 209 together.
The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.1 billion. The Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritise the investment in disadvantaged areas.
The 2020 round of the Programme closed for applications on 1 March 2021. By this date, 3,106 applications had been submitted seeking over €200m in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received.
The scoring system and assessment procedures were finalised and published prior to assessment work commencing and all applications were assessed in accordance with these procedures. Approximately one thousand of the submitted applications were for 'equipment-only' projects. These applications were assessed first and grants with a total value of €16.6m were announced on 6 August 2021. The remaining capital applications were then assessed and 1,865 individual grant offers with a total value of over €143.8m were announced on Friday 11 February. The priority in the medium terms is to progress all of these projects to grant drawdown stage.
In relation to any unsuccessful applicants, my Department will be in touch with relevant organisations shortly outlining the procedures which need to be followed to appeal the Department's decision. When the appeals process is complete, a full Review of the 2020 round of the SCEP will be undertaken and any recommendations contained therein will be included in the terms and conditions of the next Round. The precise timing of this next Round of the Programme will be announced once this Review is complete.
In relation to organisations who may wish to apply for funding in the future, these should first register on www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie. Organisations must have a tax registration number from the Revenue Commissioners if they wish to register.
