Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when he will make a decision regarding the announcement of the 2008 National Lottery funded sports capital programme; his views on whether it is appropriate that the date of the programme be purely at his discretion; his views on establishing a fixed date, which would allow clubs and organisations to better prepare their applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31450/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The Sports Capital Programme is the primary means of providing Government funding to sport and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. It has operated on an annual basis and is part funded from National Lottery funds.

A total of €568m has been allocated in sports capital funding since 1998 to 6,716 sports projects across the country. An additional €107.141m in capital funding has been provided towards the redevelopment of Croke Park. In 2007 €85m was allocated towards 935 separate projects.

The date of the next round of the Programme had not yet been decided. As in previous years, advertisements announcing the next round of the Programme will be placed in the national press and application forms will be available at that stage from my Department and on the Department's website. It is open to all sporting organisations, if they have a project which meets the terms and conditions of the Programme, to submit an application.

I am confident that the extensive advertising that accompanies the announcement of the Programme and the length of the application period means that all sporting organisations will have ample opportunity to submit an application.

The timing of the announcement of the Programme to which the Deputy refers is a matter which I will take into account in the future management of the Programme.