Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 43: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the spend on sport by his Department, both current and capital, in the most recent year for which figures are available; the proportion of this which relates to horse-racing and greyhound racing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8247/06]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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In 2005, my Department's total expenditure on sport amounted to €184.5 million on the sport capital programme, the local authority swimming pool programme, the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road, Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited, the Irish Sports Council, Horseracing Ireland and Bord na gCon. Spending on horse-racing and greyhound racing accounted for 37% of total spend on sport in 2005.

The national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, is the primary means of providing capital funding for sports facilities to clubs and voluntary and community organisations throughout the country. The programme is advertised on an annual basis. In 2005, a total of €56.8 million was paid out in respect of grants allocated under the sports capital programmes. Since 1998, a total of €395 million has now been allocated to 4,923 projects throughout the country providing for the needs of organisations and participants in the areas of physical recreation, training, coaching and competition at all levels of sport in Ireland.

Considerable progress has been made in advancing grant applications under the local authority swimming pool programme, which is administered by my Department. In 2005, €14.1 million was spent under the programme supporting the construction-refurbishment of local authority swimming pools. In that year, two new pools opened to the public in Tuam and Ballymun and two refurbished pools opened in Clonmel and Churchfield in Cork city. In addition, five projects were approved for grant assistance allowing construction-refurbishment work to commence at various locations throughout the country. Seven pool projects were approved to seek tenders for construction and a further nine projects had their preliminary reports approved allowing the preparation of contract documents.

In January 2004 the Government agreed to provide funding of €191 million, phased over five years, to the joint IRFU-FAI project for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road Stadium as a 50,000 seat state-of-the-art stadium. This project has now been taken to the planning stage and an application for planning permission was lodged with the city council in January. Expenditure in 2005 amounted to €9.5 million.

In 2005, a total of €1.4 million in current funding was provided to CSID, the company charged with the development of the sports campus. In November 2005, the Government approved the commencement of phase one of the development of facilities at Abbotstown and funds for the delivery of the project have been provided in my Department's multi-annual capital envelope for 2006-10. Phase one provides for the development of a national field sports training centre catering for rugby, soccer, Gaelic games and hockey. In addition, a national indoor training centre is planned to provide world class training facilities for over 30 sports, accommodation for sportsmen and sportswomen, sports science and medical facilities and publicly accessible, all weather floodlit synthetic pitches for community use are also included.

The Irish Sports Council was established in 1999 as the statutory body responsible for the promotion and development of sport in Ireland. It spent more than €34 million in 2005 on initiating, developing and enhancing a wide range of programmes aimed at increasing participation and raising standards in Irish sport.

Government support for the horse and greyhound racing industries is provided under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund, as approved by the Oireachtas. Under the provisions of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001, the fund receives a guaranteed level of finance based on the excise duty on off-course betting. A total of €68.35 million was provided under the fund in 2005 of which €54.84 million was allocated to current expenditure and €13.51 million to capital programmes. In 2004, the Oireachtas approved regulations to increase the limit of the fund from €254 million to €550 million to continue the fund for a further four years to 2008.

The 2004 Report on the Economic Value of the Horse Racing and Bloodstock Breeding Industry, completed by Indecon International Economic Consultants on behalf of Horse Racing Ireland, HRI, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, ITBA, and the Irish European Breeders Fund, IEBF, confirmed that horse-racing and thoroughbred breeding are significant net contributors to the Irish economy and have an important role to play in generating employment, particularly in the tourism and rural sectors. The report showed that the thoroughbred breeding industry makes a gross contribution to the Irish economy of €330 million per annum and that it pays tax of approximately €37.5 million. The report showed that Ireland is now Europe's largest producer of thoroughbreds, accounting for 42% of total output and is the third largest producer worldwide, behind only the USA and Australia, and that employment figures of 16,500 are shown to be generated from the racing, breeding and associated industries.

This unprecedented level of investment in sport is clear evidence of the importance which the Government attaches to the putting in place of modern, well equipped and well managed sporting facilities supported by a wide range of programmes which are having a real benefit to our communities.