Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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94. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department gives weighting to clubs applying for sports capital grants in circumstances in which women in sport will directly benefit; if not, her plans to include weighting of this type for clubs and groups applying for the grants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27687/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Sports Capital Programme (SCP) as operated by my Department provides funding to voluntary, sporting and community organisations for the provision of sports and recreational facilities. Over 12,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to close to €1 billion.  The programme has transformed the sporting landscape of Ireland with improvements in the quality and quantity of sporting facilities in virtually every village, town and city in the country.

In relation to the most recent rounds of the SCP, the full scoring system was published in advance of the assessment work commencing.  One of the key criteria in scoring applications has always been whether the proposed project will increase participation and in this regard the scoring system for the most recent round of the SCP specifically references the likelihood of increasing female participation. Other key criteria in scoring projects under the latest rounds of the programme include whether proposed projects were from disadvantaged areas or groups, whether the applicant had received significant funding in the past and whether the proposed facility or equipment would be shared with other groups in the community.

With regard to future rounds of the programme, a full Review of the 2018 round of the SCP has now been complete and the terms and conditions of the next round of the programme will be based on the recommendations in the Review. Work on these terms and conditions is now being finalised and a new round of the programme will be open for applications before the end of the year with an announcement in this regard expected in the coming weeks.  I expect that projects likely to increase female participation will continue to be prioritised when these terms and conditions and the scoring system are finalised.