I propose to take Questions Nos. 553, 555 and 556 together.
My Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) and the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) .
CSFF provides grants to assist in the development or refurbishment of sports facilities and the provision of sports equipment. Since 2015, over €600 million has been allocated under the CSFF and, of this, over €241 million (almost 40%) was allocated to the GAA, Ladies Gaelic Football, Camogie and Handball which can also benefit from funding allocations to multisport facilities. €25.6 million of that total was allocated to 354 projects in Cork.
For the 2023 CSFF round, the scoring system and assessment criteria used for regional grants can be found on the Department's website at https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/publications/scep-2023-scoring-system-and-assessment-procedures/. The scoring system was designed to, inter alia, reward applications from disadvantaged areas, applications that showed evidence of sharing with other sports and/or organisations and those that had engaged with the planning process. In relation to local applications, given the scale of funding available and the time required to assess the applications, allocation amounts for all valid applications were calculated using the Pobal HP Deprivation Index as the primary calculation factor.
The Department is currently collating feedback from sporting clubs and organisations which provides valuable input to our ongoing preparations for the next round of the CSFF which I expect to open soon. This includes, inter alia, considering assessment criteria that will apply.
In identifying projects under the LSSIF, applicants were asked to consider key factors such as demographic changes, in particular population growth and how they will influence the need for investment in additional facilities within the area and surrounding region. Almost €60 million has been allocated to GAA-backed projects in the two LSSIF funding rounds to date, of which €22.7 million was allocated to Cork projects.
I recently met with the GAA to discuss its National Demographics Committee report, published in December 2025. The demographic shifts in Ireland have direct impacts, positive and negative, on participation numbers in GAA clubs, both urban and rural. This demographic impact is an issue for other sports and for wider planning and infrastructure considerations.
A positive recent development in terms of factoring sport into long-term spatial and strategic planning is the inclusion, in regulations made under the Planning and Development Act 2024, of Sport Ireland as a statutory consultee when local authorities are reviewing their county development plans.
In this context, I understand that the Office of the Planning Regulator is liaising with Sport Ireland and some other sporting bodies to examine how local authorities can more effectively plan for the provision of sports and recreational facilities within communities.
