Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 582: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the funding which was provided by his Department to each local government authority for community gain under sports and play facilities grants in 2005 and 2006; the breakdown by local authority as to the way in which the funding was allocated; and the projects it was allocated to. [8998/06]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 583: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if an inventory of the State's local authority controlled public parks, with and without playground facilities, has been carried out; if so, if he will supply a copy of the inventory; and if not, if he will initiate such a study. [8999/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 582 and 583 together

Section 67 of the Local Government Act 2001 empowers local authorities to promote the interests of the local community in relation to amenity, recreation and other functions. This includes the provision of sports, games and similar activities and general recreational and leisure facilities such as playgrounds. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the extent to which these facilities should be provided and to allocate resources accordingly.

To assist local authorities in this regard, my Department provided funding of over €2 million to local authorities for the development of playground facilities in 2005. A fixed grant of €60,000 was allocated to each city and county council to meet the cost of purchase and delivery of playground equipment. Funding for some 21 skateboard facilities to be provided by local authorities was also approved in 2005. Details of these grants are set out in the following table. No grants for playgrounds or skateboard parks have been allocated in 2006. Grants for sports facilities are not provided by my Department. Apart from direct grants, my Department also provides significant financial support to local authorities through the Local Government Fund which is usable at the discretion of the authority.

Information regarding local authority controlled public parks, with and without playground facilities, is not available in my Department. However, the publication Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2004 by the local government management services board reported on performance across 42 indicators covering the broad range of local authority activities. These indicators were drawn up by the local government customer service group following extensive consultation with local authorities. The customer service group is representative of my Department, local authorities and the Institute of Public Administration. Two of the indicators relate to playgrounds and these enable comparisons to be made across local authorities on their performance in this area. Specifically, the indicators show the number of children's playgrounds per 1,000 population provided directly by the local authority, and facilitated by the local authority. Copies of this publication are available in the Oireachtas Library.