I propose to take Questions Nos. 304 to 306, inclusive, 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 prioritising 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. The full scoring system and assessment procedures can be viewed at the following link: www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie/ and the final grant decisions were made in accordance with the scoring system.
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.
Following the conclusion of the assessment process by the Sports Capital Division of my Department, a submission which included a spreadsheet setting out the final set of recommended grants was sent to Minister Martin and me on 10 February. As is the norm for grant announcements, the full set of approved grants was sent on the morning of 11 February to the Press Offices of the three Government parties in advance of the publication of all grants on the Gov.ie website later that day.
The vast majority of all communications with regard to the SCEP, or any other official business for that matter, within and from my office is done through in person briefings and meetings, official Department email accounts and electronic submissions. Private email is not used in this regard and, while communication applications are used on occasion for reasons of expediency no sensitive material is circulated using such methods.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme is important to thousands of communities throughout the country and I receive regular representations on the Programme. I am always willing to engage with interested parties on the programme given its huge benefits for so many people, communities and clubs. These queries include contacts from Ministers, Ministers of States, Oireachtas members of all parties and their staff or advisers as well as other elected representatives and applicants. Where updates are sought on an application over the course of the round of the SCEP from Oireachtas members, staff or advisers, my office endeavours to provide the factual position at that point in time.
An overall package of €150 million in new capital grants under the 2020 round of the SCEP was announced on 11 February, a record allocation under the programme. €144 million was allocated to almost 1,900 applications with €6 million kept in reserve for successful appeals lodged by unsuccessful applicants. The record allocation reflects the government’s ongoing support to sport as the sector emerges from the challenges of the past two years. It reflects the funding challenges facing clubs across the country, the unprecedented number of applications received and the vital role that sport plays in supporting community and individual wellbeing, a role that came into sharp focus during the pandemic.
