Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 342: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his attention has been drawn to the Kildare Youth Services development plan for the future; if he has examined the possibility of offering grant assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5281/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 343: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his attention has been drawn to the full extent and scale of the services provided through or by Kildare Youth Services; the extent to which he is aware of their financial needs in 2008; if he will positively respond to such requests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5282/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 344: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he proposes to offer financial support to the services provided by Kildare Youth Services in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5283/08]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 342 to 344, inclusive, together.

Details of the individual schemes and programmes operated directly by my Department are as follows and may be of interest to the Kildare Youth Services. Under the sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, funding is allocated to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country for the provision of sports facilities. The 2008 sports capital programme was advertised on 13th & 14th of January last and the closing date for receipt of applications is 29th February for paper-based applications and 7th March for on-line applications. If Kildare Youth Services has a capital project that meets the terms and conditions of the sports capital programme they are free to apply under the current round before the deadline.

All applications received before the deadline will be evaluated against the programme's assessment criteria, which are outlined in the guidelines, terms and conditions of the programme. I intend to announce the grant allocations for the programme as soon as possible after the assessment process has been completed. My Department also administers the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme, which provides grant aid towards the capital costs of a new or replacement public swimming pool. This programme is currently closed to applications but it is my intention to launch a new round of the programme in the near future. The ACCESS scheme, which provides capital grants for arts and culture infrastructure around the country, including community based initiatives is also currently closed to applications but I propose to announce a further round of this programme later in the year.