Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 635: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if funding will be offered to a club (details supplied) in County Kildare to assist with the construction of an astro-turf playing field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25330/05]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The national lottery funded sports capital programme 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. In order for an organisation to be eligible for funding it must submit an application to the programme within the application period of the programme in any given year.

Applications for funding under the 2005 programme were invited through advertisements in the press on 5 and 6 December last. The closing date for receipt of applications was 4 February 2005. A total of 1,362 applications were received. The club in question did not apply for funding at that time. In July last I announced provisional allocations of €54.385 million to 626 projects under the programme.

I intend to advertise and invite applications to the 2006 sports capital programme before the end of this year. It is open to the club in question, should it wish to do so and should it have a project which satisfies the terms and conditions of the programme, to submit an application to the 2006 programme at that time. The Deputy should note that the club has been allocated three separate grants previously under the sports capital programme since 1998 totalling €226,974. All of the moneys in respect of these grants have been paid to the club.