648. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the extent of State funding provided to the GAA and related Gaelic games bodies through the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme, large-scale sports infrastructure funding and other State supports in each of the past five years; and whether compliance with national sports policy objectives relating to gender equality and participation is considered when allocating such funding. [65475/26]

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).

€88.1 million has been allocated towards Gaelic Games initiatives under the two LSSIF rounds to date. This funding is for projects that are either directly sponsored by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and the Camogie Association or that incorporated Gaelic Games elements. Under the most recent LSSIF round, in 2024, 11 GAA backed projects were awarded total funding of €57.45 million.

Over the last five CSFF programmes since 2015, over €230 million was allocated to GAA clubs throughout the country. Details of all CSFF and LSSIF allocations and payments are available on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/sportscapital.

Any organisation that is in receipt of LSSIF funding must have a similar access policy in place, which means that recipients of LSSIF funding must accommodate the needs of women and men, on a similar basis, with respect to accessing the facilities that have been allocated public funding.

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.

As for other State supports to the Gaelic Games organisations, Sport Ireland is the main other funder in this regard. Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards, including the allocation of funding under its various programmes. Sport Ireland channels such funding through the relevant National Governing Body, in this case the GAA, the LGFA and the Camogie Association.

I have referred the Deputy’s Question to Sport Ireland for direct reply in relation to funding provided by it.