Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
506. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she has held meetings with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to increasing the amount available to her Department for the Sports Capital Fund. [39171/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 billion. The Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritise the investment in disadvantaged areas.
The 2020 round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1st March. By the closing date, 3,106 applications were submitted seeking over €200 million in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received. The scoring system and assessment manual for the 2020 round was finalised earlier in the year and is available at www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie . All applications are being assessed in accordance with this manual. Assessment of the "equipment-only" applications is nearing completion and an announcement in relation to these grants will be made shortly. The remaining applications for capital works will be assessed immediately afterwards with these allocations expected before the end of the year.
No decision on the total final allocation amount will be made until all applications have been assessed. Every effort will be made to fund as many worthwhile projects as possible while providing a sufficient level of grant to ensure the projects are viable. While a minimum of €40m is available, the level of funding will be kept under review, in the context of drawdown demands for older SCEP grants.
