Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 123: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will give preferential treatment to applications that involve multi-sports facilities when he is deciding on the awarding of grants under the 2008 sports capital programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4935/08]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Sports Capital Programme, which is administered by my Department, funding is allocated to sporting and community organisations. It is the main vehicle for development of sports facilities at local, regional and national level throughout the country. 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.

The programme is open to applications from local authorities and other community organisations for the development of multi-sport facilities. Under the 2007 programme, over €5m was allocated to large municipal multi-sport facilities. When you add to this the amount allocated to community based local multi-sport facilities, over €15m was allocated last year alone to multi-sport facilities. This is against a backdrop of sustained sports capital investment in this sector since 1998. In the period 1998 — 2007, sports capital funding of over €126 million was allocated to community and municipal multi-sport projects. These projects include sports facilities built by local authorities, community sports facilities and multi-sport clubs.

The Sports Capital and Local Authority Swimming Pool programmes are managed in such a manner as to provide joined-up funding for pools and supplementary dry sports facilities, thus providing a full suite of amenities in a single location catering for an even wider range of recreational and competitive sports. In assessing all applications, my Department identified projects that will, among other considerations, have the greatest impact on increasing participation and improving performance. One of the ways applicants can demonstrate how a proposed project will raise participation is by providing letters of support from other clubs, schools and community organisations that will use their grant aided facilities. Practically all the facilities assisted by the Sports Capital Programme have provided such letters of support.

For this year's programme, in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government, applications for funding from schools must include a formal agreement between the schools and at least one local club allowing the club or clubs access to school sports facilities outside of school hours and during school holidays. Work on the National Sports Facility Strategy is underway with the assistance of a firm of consultants involving both national and international experts in the area of sports facilities. The aim of the strategy is to provide high-level policy direction for future investment/grant assistance at national, regional and local level. It is intended to identify the facilities requirement for sport so that participation at reasonable cost is feasible for those who wish to engage in sport at either amateur or elite level.