Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on the increasing privatisation of leisure facilities here; if he foresees a future role for the State and local authorities in extending the provision of leisure facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31447/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I am not specifically aware of the privatisation of public leisure facilities that the Deputy's question seems to suggest. However, I am aware that some local authorities, in planning the operation and management of their municipal leisure facilities, engage the services of private sector sports facility operators on a contract basis. This has been the case in the operation and management of some public swimming pools grant aided under the Local Authority Swimming Pool programme. However, in all such cases, overall responsibility and control of the facility ultimately rests with the local authority.

That programme also provides for the grant aiding of swimming pools promoted by third parties, such as local community/swimming organisations, provided that, in the first instance, the grant application is submitted through and supported by the relevant local authority and secondly, the degree and terms of public access are specifically and formally agreed in advance between the Department and the local authority.

The Government is, of course, strongly committed to continued investment in the development of sports facilities. This is done in partnership with sports clubs, national governing bodies of sport and other important stakeholders such as local authorities and the education sector. The Sports Capital Programme and the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme are the primary means of providing capital funding to sport and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country and this is given effect in the National Development Plan 2007-2013 where of the €991m provided for the provision for sports infrastructure, €420m is provided in respect of the Sports Capital Programme and €184m is provided in respect of the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme.

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.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 26: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his Department has carried out an audit of local sports facilities; if the findings of the audit have been published; the areas that are most in need of additional supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31462/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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As I have previously informed the House, the nationwide audit of sports facilities has commenced and is being carried out in stages to help speed up the availability of information. Phase One, which focuses on national and regional sports facilities, has now been completed within my Department. A database of sports facilities of national or regional significance has been compiled including details of facilities at third level educational institutions and swimming pools. Phase Two of the audit, which will commence shortly, is a more complex undertaking to establish a record of existing sports facilities at local level and identifying the need for future provision.

The audit is part of a wider exercise to put in place a more strategic approach to the provision of sports facilities in Ireland. The Programme for Government sets out a commitment to put in place a long-term strategic plan to ensure the development of necessary local facilities throughout the country, followed by year on year monitoring of improvements delivered.

A key objective in relation to the preparation of the National Sports Facility Strategy is to ensure consistency — on a nationwide basis — in relation to the completion of the audit facility so that inter-regional planning can be undertaken. With this in mind, the preparation of a guidance pack and audit toolkit for use by Local Authorities and /or Local Sports Partnerships to assist them in carrying out local audit has been prioritised as part of the Sports Facility Strategy. This element of the strategy will greatly help in the completion of the audit and the compilation of a comprehensive database on the range and nature of sporting facilities at national, regional and local level.