Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
676. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of applicants for the previous three rounds of the sports capital programme that were granted funding but did not draw down the grants; the number of grants that were partially drawn down and the number of grants that were fully drawn down; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16942/23]
View answerThe 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 €1.15 billion. The Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas.
Under the three most recent rounds of the programme, in 2017, 2018 and 2020, a total of 6,372 grants were allocated. The final grants under the 2020 round were announced on Tuesday 31 May last year and the total allocation of €166.6 million for the 2020 round represents the highest level of allocation ever made under the SCEP. The priority in the short term is to advance the successful applications to "formal approval" and grant drawdown stage. In this regard, it can take some grantees a number of years to fully draw down their grants due to the need to fully comply with the terms and conditions of the Programme. These requirements include the need to obtain a number of quotations for the work, complying with the legal requirements of the Programme and ensuring that all tax clearance requirements are adhered to.
A list of all allocations under all recent rounds of the SCEP is published on my Department's website at: - www.gov.ie/en/collection/471ed5-sports-capital-allocations/.
A full list of all payments made can also be viewed on my Department's website at: www.gov.ie/en/collection/efc6c4-sports-capital-programmes-payments/.
