Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 328: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when applications will be accepted for the new round of national lottery funding; the types of applications that will be accepted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23635/05]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. The programme is advertised on an annual basis. Applications for funding under the 2005 programme were invited through advertisements in the press on 5 and 6 December 2004. The closing date for receipt of applications was 4 February 2005. All of the 1,362 applications received before that deadline are currently being evaluated against the programme's assessment criteria, which are outlined in the guidelines, terms and conditions of the programme.

I intend to announce the grant allocations for the programme as soon as possible after the assessment process has been completed and to announce details of and invite applications to the 2006 sports capital programme before the end of this year. The guidelines, terms and conditions for the next programme have yet to be decided but are likely to be generally similar to those used for the 2005 programme. Consideration has been given to applications submitted by or on behalf of voluntary and community organisations, including sports clubs, in certain circumstances, schools, colleges and local authorities and national governing bodies of sport and third level education institutions, where it is evident that the proposed facility will contribute to the regional and-or national sporting infrastructure.

Applications from schools and colleges must be made jointly with local sports clubs or community groups and must provide for significant levels of usage by the local community during periods when the facilities are not being used by the school itself, at least 30 hours per week throughout the year, and demonstrate that the facilities concerned will meet an identified deficiency in that locality, as formally agreed with other local groups and-or the local authority. Projects must be directly related to the provision of sport and recreation facilities and be of a capital nature, which, for the purpose of the programme, is defined as expenditure on the improvement or construction of an asset and includes any costs directly incurred in this process and purchase of permanently based sports equipment, for instance, it is securely housed and will remain in use for five years or more. The programme does not assist in the purchase of sites, premises or personal equipment such as sports kits, gloves, shoes, boots, personal protective clothing, etc.