Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 545: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the action he has taken to encourage cooperation between schools and other local service providers of physical education and gym facilities to share these facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23561/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations and, in certain circumstances to schools and colleges, throughout the country. It is the main vehicle for development of sports facilities at local, regional and national level. Under the programme, priority is given to the needs of disadvantaged areas in the provision of sports facilities. Primary and post-primary schools wishing to be considered for funding under the programme may apply for funding jointly with local sports clubs or community groups and must meet other conditions including a requirement that the local community will have significant access to the proposed facility, for at least 30 hours a week throughout the year, when it is not being used by the school. Any facility proposed for funding by a sporting organisation and which would be located within school grounds would have to meet the conditions. Applications from primary and post-primary schools and colleges on their own are not considered under the programme. Work on the development of a National Sports Facility Strategy is under way in my Department. The aim of the strategy is to provide high-level policy direction for future investment at national, regional and local level. An inter-agency steering group has been established to oversee this work and includes representation from the Department of Education and Science. The work of this group has included discussions with the Department of Education and Science on how its policy on the provision of sports hall facilities and my Department's policy for the provision of sports facilities might be complementary.