554. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the assessment that has been carried out of the risk that children in high-growth communities may be unable to participate in Gaelic games or other community sports due to a shortage of pitches, coaches, volunteers or club capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45556/26]

I recently met with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to discuss its National Demographics Committee report.

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 of Sport Ireland, under the Planning and Development Act 2024, 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.

In terms of the ongoing development of sports infrastructure, 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.

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.

Additionally, Sport Ireland has prioritised capacity building in volunteer-led NGBs by allocating proportionally higher increases in core funding to enable them to transition towards more professional structures.

In addition to core funding, Sport Ireland will allocate €390,000 in a targeted strategic investment, as part of a pilot initiative in 2026, to support organisational development and workforce capacity in selected NGBs that are identified as having high growth potential.