Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

The sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations. It is the main vehicle for development of sports facilities at local, regional and national level. The programme is open to applications from local authorities and other community organisations for the development of multisport facilities. Under the 2007 programme, more than €5 million was allocated to multisport projects serving the wider community. This is on the back of sustained sports capital investment in this sector over the lifetime of the previous Government. In that period, sports capital funding of approximately €35.5 million was allocated to community or municipal multisport projects. These projects not only meet local needs but also add considerably to national and regional sporting infrastructure. This investment increases levels of participation and improves standards of performance.

As the Deputy may be aware, a national audit of sports facilities is ongoing. This will provide me with a more comprehensive picture of the distribution and availability of sports facilities across the country, including multisport facilities. I will examine the outcome of this audit, particularly in the context of the development of the national sports facility strategy and the structure of the sports capital programme. In addition, my Department will work closely with local authorities in the funding of key, multipurpose municipal sports facilities, which will be identified in the gateway and hub locations in the context of the implementation of the National Development Plan 2007-13.

See this speech in context