Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 3: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the way in which the population criteria was used to arrive at the decisions in view of the recent sports capital grants allocation and the fact that Kildare received the lowest [i]per capita [/i]allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27236/06]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The national lottery-funded sports capital programme allocates funding to sporting and to voluntary and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. The programme is advertised on an annual basis.

All applications received under the programme are assessed on an individual basis by my Department in accordance with a detailed set of assessment criteria as specified in the guidelines, terms and conditions that accompany the application form for the programme. Following the assessment process, each application receives a score, which gives its order of priority within its own county.

The assessment process takes into account factors such as the existing level of facilities in an area, the number and quality of the applications received, the amount of funding being sought by each applicant and the strategic positioning of major facilities that may be required as well as the most recent census of population figures. Every effort is made to achieve a balanced geographical spread of funds throughout the country, while also affording priority to projects in areas of social and economic disadvantage. In relation to the 2006 sports capital programme, a total of 1,338 applications were received nationally, of which 1,211 were for projects classified as local and 127 as non-local, that is, projects which were categorised as national, regional or municipal and multi-sport.

I recently announced provisional grant allocations under the 2006 programme in relation to the local applications totalling €53.745 million to 719 projects and I will announce the provisional allocations for the non-local projects in the near future, for which five applications were received from Kildare.

Of 28 applications from County Kildare for local projects this year, 17 were provisionally allocated funding totalling €1.41 million. My Department has written to the remaining 11 applicants enclosing a copy of their assessment and explaining why they were unsuccessful on this occasion, in order to assist with any future applications which they might submit. Ten of these applicants failed to meet basic minimum qualifying conditions as outlined on the application form and the guidelines, terms and conditions of the programme.

A salient point, of which the Deputy may not be aware, is the reduction in the number of applications received from Kildare this year compared with previous years. The overall number of applications from Kildare this year was down by 25% on the number of applications made in each of three previous years, 2003, 2004 and 2005. The Deputy will appreciate that the programme can only respond to the applications received from any particular county in any particular year. A reduced number of applications, taken with the quality of those applications and the amount of funding sought, affects the overall level of funding allocated to a county.

Nevertheless, sports capital funding to County Kildare amounts to €59 per capita since 2003 and the national average over that time is €60 per capita. Since 1998 a total of over €23.4 million in sports capital funding has been allocated to County Kildare. This means that the county, with less than 4.2% of the population, has been allocated over 5.2% of the total national funding since 1998.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

I am satisfied that County Kildare has been treated more than fairly in the administration of the sports capital programme and I believe that the Deputy will agree with me that the funding provided has made a major difference to the range and quality of the sports facilities available throughout the county.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I have looked at our applications for the past four years. Is the Minister saying it is all down to expertise which is particularly good in certain countries? For example, County Kerry has done extraordinarily well over a number of years. If we compare that county with Meath, a county with almost exactly the same population, in 2002 County Kerry got almost four times the amount. The same happened with regard to swimming pools. Kerry got funding for four swimming pools, but there are some counties that got no funding allocation. The same happened also with regard to arts grants. Six counties, including Kildare, got nothing under the access programme since 2002. What is the reason for this? Why do some counties do disproportionately well? Kerry does exceptionally well.

Is the Minister aware there is a particular difficulty in developing areas? In places where many houses are built it takes time for the area to function as a community and it is more difficult for such growing communities to make an application for funds as they are not established. Counties like Kildare, Meath and Fingal are disadvantaged in that regard.

I see no rationale for the census of population having a bearing on this. If it does not have a bearing, what is the basis for allocations to a county? Is whoever represents the county the key factor in terms of how well a county does in terms of lottery grants?

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Last year Kerry finished in the middle of the table, but this year it did not. The grants announced to date represent grants for local clubs, not grants to major regional infrastructure projects which are normally in more urbanised centres. When the regional grants are added in, the picture will probably change. While the number of applications from County Kildare was down this year by 25%, the number of applications from Kerry was quite high.

Department officials do their best in terms of what are limited funds and use certain criteria in coming to an assessment of the scores. The criteria include the extent to which the projects increase active participation and result in improved standards of sport, the need to achieve an equitable geographical spread of funds and an equitable spread over different sports and community groups while prioritising designated disadvantaged areas, the financial viability of the project and the extent to which applicants have consulted with other clubs, community groups, schools, the local authority and the national governing bodies in order to prioritise proposed improvements and facilities.

With regard to the disbursement of grants for various disciplines, in the round they are far more equitable than the Deputy imagines.