Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if grants are available for the provision of skateboard parks to private groups, community groups or local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30995/05]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The national lottery funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, provides funding at local, regional and national level to voluntary, sporting and community organisations and to local authorities but not to private organisations, towards the provision of sport and recreational facilities, including skateboard parks. 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 and I announced provisional grant allocations of €54.385 million under the programme in July last. I intend to invite applications to the 2006 programme before the end of this year.

The Deputy should note that my colleague, the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, in May this year announced the availability of €1 million in a new pilot scheme specifically for the provision of skateboard parks, through which each city and county council was invited to submit expressions of interest of such proposals.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 191: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if grants will be given to sporting groups on the northside of Dublin in 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31020/05]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The national lottery funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, provides funding at local, regional and national level to voluntary, sporting and community organisations and to local authorities towards the provision of sport and recreational facilities. The programme is advertised on an annual basis.

All applications received under the sports capital programme are assessed each year on an individual basis and on their own merits by my officials in accordance with a detailed set of assessment criteria as specified in the guidelines, terms and conditions for the programme, which accompany the application form for the programme.

Applications for funding under the 2005 programme were invited through advertisements in the press on 5 and 6 December 2004 and 1,362 applications were received by the closing date. I announced provisional grant allocations of €54.385 million under the programme in July last, including €3.77 million to 28 projects located in several northside postal districts of Dublin.

I intend to invite applications to the 2006 programme before the end of this year and would expect to again receive applications from, and grant provisional allocations to, a number of projects in the northside Dublin area.