Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 189: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the extent of capital or current funding provided by her Department for various sporting, recreational or similar activities throughout County Kildare in 2007, 2008 and 2009, both from the proceeds of the national lottery or from other sources; the intended expenditure from each source in 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27493/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 190: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the extent of capital or current funding provided by her Department for various sporting, recreational, or similar activities in 2007, 2008 and 2009 both from the proceeds of the national lottery or from other sources; the intended expenditure from each source in 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27494/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 192: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the full extent of intended expenditure by way of capital grant aid towards major and minor sporting recreational activities in 2010; the extent and level of such expenditure in 2008 and 2009; if all previous allocations have been fully drawn down; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27496/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 189, 190 and 192 together.

Under the Sports Capital Programme (SCP), which is administered by my Department, and part funded from the proceeds of the National Lottery, funding is allocated to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. While no decision has been made on the timing of the next round of the SCP, €48 million has been provided in my Department's Vote in the 2010 Estimates to cover payments to be made from the C1 subhead, out of which grants are paid for the provision of sports and recreation facilities in respect of previously awarded grants. It is expected that all of this funding will be paid out to sports clubs and organisations this year.

As the drawdown of outstanding allocations is dependent on the timely receipt of invoices and other documentation from the grantees it is not possible to predict the exact amount of SCP drawdown from any county during a particular period of time. The figures for payments under the SCP on projects funded under the programme up to and including 2008 for each of the last three years are set out in the table below:

Under the Local Authority Swimming Pools Programme (LASPP) a provision of €7.5m has been made in 2010 which will be sufficient to meet existing commitments under current round of the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme, including payments of €380,921.40 for projects funded in County Kildare. No decision has been made on the timing of a new round of the programme. The figures for expenditure under the LASPP for each of the last three years, for County Kildare and for the whole country, are set out in the table below:

At the end of 2009 the total level of outstanding commitments on hand from previous rounds of the Sports Capital programme was just over €117m. Details of allocations made to projects in Co. Kildare under the SCP are available on the Department's website – www.tcs.ie

The Deputy will be aware that the Irish Sports Council (ISC), which is funded by the Department, has a statutory role in the promotion, development and coordination of sport. The ISC was established on a statutory basis on 1st July, 1999, and the functions of the Council are outlined in Section 6 of the Irish Sports Council Act 1999. Section 6 (1)(a) states that one of the functions of the Council shall be "to encourage the promotion, development and coordination of competitive sport and the achievement of excellence in competitive sport." Section 6.1 (b) states, as one of the functions of the Council, that the ISC has responsibility for developing "strategies for increasing participation in recreational sport and to coordinate their implementation by all bodies (including public authorities and publicly funded bodies) involved in promoting recreational sport and providing recreational facilities. Details of spending by the ISC in Co. Kildare, primarily in respect of Co. Kildare LSP is available from the Irish Sports Council.