Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 200: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he has had recent discussions with the various sporting authorities in regard to the development of their various stadia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12095/07]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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Funding made available by my Department can be provided through a number of channels to sporting bodies and there are ongoing lines of communications through which the needs of sporting bodies are conveyed to the Department including those relating to their plans and aspirations for stadia. I have discussed stadia needs of National Governing Bodies at a number of meetings in the context of the allocation of funding for such projects.

The principal ongoing source of Government funding for sports facilities is the Sports Capital Programme and since 1998, capital funding of €483m has been provided to 5,781 projects. Included among these projects is a network of top quality national facilities including stadia for various sports bodies. These include the National Rowing Centre at Inniscarra, the National Tennis Centre, the National Boxing Stadium, the National Hockey Stadium at UCD, GAA County grounds, soccer stadia and rugby stadia.

In addition there are separate individual programmes of funding for major sports projects including the Government contribution to investments at Croke Park (€114m) for the GAA, Lansdowne Road Stadium (€191m) for the IRFU and FAI jointly, and the development of the National Aquatic Centre which benefits a number of water sports and leisure water activities and the National Sports Campus at Abbotstown which will provide facilities for the benefit of over 30 Governing Bodies of Sport.

Government funding of the Irish horse and greyhound racing industries through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund has enabled a programme of capital investment in horse and greyhound racing tracks in recent years which has underpinned a growth in both sectors. This will continue under the new National Development Plan for 2007-2013 which includes a provision of €70 million for both industries and will enable Horse Racing Ireland and Bord na gCon to undertake the further development of a network of racing stadium facilities.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department is currently developing a national Sports Facility Strategy. The intention is that, when completed, the Strategy will provide better policy direction for future investment and grant assistance at national, regional and local level. Consultants have been recently engaged by the Department to assist in this process and are currently managing a consultation process to establish the views of sporting bodies, Local Sports Partnerships and any other interested parties on the future provision of sports facilities by Government. This consultation process will offer National Governing Bodies of Sport an unique opportunity to have a say in the design of the future strategy for sports facilities in Ireland. The Strategy should be completed by the Summer.