I propose to take Questions Nos. 1583, 1584 and 1585 together.
Female participation in sport is an important element of both the National Sports Policy 2018-2027 and its associated Sports Action Plan 2024-2027 and represents a core priority for me and my Department.
The Government is committed to a "Sport for All" approach aimed at ensuring that all persons can partake equally in sport and physical activity, regardless of gender. This commitment is reaffirmed in the Programme for Government and is also reflected in Sport Ireland's Women in Sport Policy. The Women In Sport (WIS) funding programme, administered by Sport Ireland, was first established in 2005 and since then over €30 million has been invested through the National Governing Bodies of Sport and the Local Sports Partnerships.
My Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) and the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). All CSFF grantees, including GAA clubs, must sign a declaration that, from the date of the grant, they will not deny anybody access to any facility or part of a facility for which they received a grant on the grounds of gender, civil status, family status, age, disability, race, sexual orientation, religious belief, or membership of the Traveller or Roma community without just, reasonable and proper cause.
In addition, the LSSIF requires that recipients of LSSIF funding must accommodate the needs of women and men, on a similar basis, with regard to accessing the facilities. The LSSIF similar access policy is available on my Department’s website at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/services/large-scale-sport-infrastructure-fund-lssif-similar-access-policy/ . All LSSIF grantees must adhere to the terms and conditions of this policy prior to drawdown of funds.
My Department routinely carries out compliance reviews and annual spot-checks of a proportion of grant-aided projects as allocations are drawn down, and participation and inclusion aspects are an important feature of those reviews. To date, there have been no identified instances of non-compliance with the gender-based access requirements of either capital funding programme.
Over a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to 3,048 community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 under the most recent, 2023, round of the CSFF, representing the largest-ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland. Details of all CSFF allocations are available on the Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/collections/sports-capital-programme-allocations/. Details of all payments made to clubs on a yearly basis are available on the Department's website www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/collections/sports-capital-programmes-payments/
On 4 November 2024, funding allocations under the second round of the LSSIF were announced. The total amount of grants awarded under this second round was €173 million, benefiting 35 individual projects. A list of the LSSIF funded projects is available on my Department’s website at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/campaigns/large-scale-sport-infrastructure-fund-lssif/ Details of LSSIF payments to grantees is available on my Department’s website at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/services/large-scale-sport-infrastructure-fund-lssif-2018/#payments
The Programme for Government commits to supporting the sporting ecosystem so more people can participate in sport and reap the associated benefits. This will be achieved through a range of measures including continuing to work with sporting organisations to promote equality of access to sporting facilities and to drive increased participation in sport. I have asked my Department to prepare for a further round of the CSFF in 2026 which is expected to open in the coming months. In line with previous rounds of the Fund, a review of the current funding round has been undertaken and will be finalised shortly.
