Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 April 2024
563. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the support her Department is providing for the proposed water hub in Carlow (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14113/24]
View answerThe Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). Both of these capital programmes are demand-driven.
The National Sports Policy published in 2018 provided for the establishment of the LSSIF. The aim of the fund is to provide support for larger sports facilities where the Exchequer investment is greater than the maximum amount available under the SCEP.
A new round of the LSSIF will open for applications in the coming weeks, with the dates, terms and conditions to be confirmed in due course. While the first round of the LSSIF programme was aimed primarily at the National Governing Bodies of Sport and local authorities, it was also open to other bodies, philanthropic funders, clubs and voluntary organisations to apply. However, such applications would necessarily have to be made and prioritised by a local authority and/or a Governing Body.
I would encourage all eligible projects to consider applying for this competitive application process when it opens.
