Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I am glad Deputy Upton gave me a chance to clarify this because there is no cutback, although I can see how somebody reading it cold could come to that conclusion. These are two different schemes. In 2007 a once-off amount of €2 million from the dormant accounts fund was allocated to 781 projects in disadvantaged areas. That was a once-off allocation from that fund, which is not normally built into the spending of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. The next year, in 2008 and going on into 2009, there is a figure of €1.5 million. While that appears to be a reduction, as the Deputy said in her question, it is a different scheme.

The second scheme is a disability programme to do with the employment of special inclusion development officers and again comes from the dormant accounts as a once-off payment in each of the two years so we are unable to compare like with like. The funding the Deputy should be aware of is the figure I stated earlier regarding 1,530 applications and the amount which went to disadvantaged areas. There is no precise calculation but perhaps up to half of the funding for sport is going to targeted areas of disadvantage. I can get more accurate figures in that regard. While it would not be fair to compare these two figures, I can see how somebody coming cold to the situation might compare them. I confirm they are different schemes and are once off.

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