Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

The five year Agreed Programme for Government includes a series of commitments, in respect of sport, for achievement in the period to 2012. I am pleased to say that action is being taken in a progressive manner in these areas to ensure these targets are met in the lifetime of the Government.

As Deputies will be aware, many of the commitments on the promotion of sports in schools are a matter for the Minister for Education and Science. However, two specific commitments relate to the operation of the sports capital programme — the promotion of greater sharing of school and community sports facilities, making it a condition of the sports capital programme that facilities be made available to schools where appropriate; and encouraging more schools to apply for funding under the sports capital programme by collaborating with their local sports clubs or community groups.

Under the 2008 sports capital programme, schools making joint applications with local sports clubs were required to provide evidence of formal agreements with local clubs that guaranteed the clubs access to school facilities for at least 30 hours per week throughout the year. In assessing applications, extra marks are awarded to sports clubs that can show that they are allowing local schools to use their facilities.

I will be discussing with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, how his programme for the provision of sports halls in schools and the sports capital programme might be dovetailed to provide greater value for money and enhanced facilities both for schools and the local community users.

Work on the development of a national sports facility strategy is at an advanced stage in my Department. The aim of the strategy is to provide high level policy direction for future investment at national, regional and local levels. An inter-agency steering group was established to oversee this work and includes representation from the Department of Education and Science. The work of this group has included discussions with the Department of Education and Science on how its policy on the provision of sports hall facilities and my Department's policy for the provision of sports facilities might be complementary.

In addition, the Irish Sports Council, which is funded by my Department, has a statutory role in encouraging the promotion, development and co-ordination of sport. Through the Irish Sports Council, the national governing bodies of sport and the local sports partnerships, there are many programmes being funded which aim to increase participation in sport by children and young people. I would like to take this opportunity to compliment the people who are involved in this work on the ground in introducing our children to sport that will complement and enhance both our school and community sport programmes.

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