Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will report on the provision of sports grants to clubs and schools in disadvantaged areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25662/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Under the sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, grants are allocated to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country.

One of the stated aims and objectives of the sports capital programme is to prioritise the needs of disadvantaged areas in the provision of facilities. Since 2002, it was decided that only those areas that have been designated by Government for special support through the schemes administered by Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, i.e. RAPID, Local Drugs Task Force and CLAR areas should be treated as disadvantaged under the programme.

Projects identified as being located in areas designated as disadvantaged are targeted and prioritised in a number of ways during the assessment of applications. They are permitted to have a lower level of minimum own funding available (20% as against the normal 30%) towards their project, and extra marks are also awarded to such projects during the assessment process under the level of socio-economic disadvantage criterion.

Successful projects under the Sports Capital Programme in CLAR and RAPID areas may qualify to receive top-up funding, payable by the Department of Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, in addition to their sports capital allocation. In the case of projects located in CLAR areas, this top-up funding can be up to 20% of the sports capital grant amount; in the case of projects located in RAPID areas which are also endorsed by their local Area Implementation Team, the top-up funding can be up to 30%.

The 2007 Sports Capital Programme was advertised in the national press in October 2006. The closing date for receipt of completed applications was 24th November 2006. Over 1,530 applications were received for the programme and provisional allocations totalling €85 million were made to 935 projects on 5th April last.

For the Deputy's information, grants totalling €38,679,550 were allocated to 455 projects in disadvantaged areas. To date, my colleague the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has announced top-ups for qualifying grantees of €6,412,510.

Finally, in relation to funding for schools, I should point out to the Deputy that applications to the programme from primary and post-primary schools and colleges must be made jointly with local sports clubs or community groups and must as a minimum demonstrate that the local community will have significant access to the proposed facility when it is not being used by the school or college itself. In this regard, the minimum requirement is at least 30 hours a week throughout the year.