Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 439: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the nature of the projects for which grants were secured by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann over the past five years; the location of said projects, their construction status and their ownership structure; if he will supply a copy of the grant applications as received and processed by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22359/09]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, my Department provides core funding to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann to enable it to promote the use of Irish within the organisation and in its activities. This funding also assists Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann to meet its administrative costs and to maintain its headquarters. The amount of core funding provided for the period 2005-09 is as follows:

The 2009 figure includes an allocation of €55,000 in respect of costs relating to the Brú Ború Centre in Cashel. It also includes an amount of €27,600 in respect of the Coleman Heritage Centre. Annual allocations of €30,000 had been provided separately for the Centre in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The funding for 2009 has been subsumed into the core funding provision. My Department has also provided current funding to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann as set out below for the period 2006-09 in respect of a development programme being advanced by it on a regional basis:

This funding was provided on foot of a policy decision made following a composite approach from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann to the Minister for Finance in November 2005 seeking both current and capital funding over this period for its proposed regional development programme. In this regard, I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No 109 of 29 April 2009 in which I indicated that capital funding in respect of the development of regional centres by the organisation is provided by the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism, while my Department provides related current funding. I am arranging to have a copy of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann's aforementioned letter of November 2005 sent directly to the Deputy. In light of the foregoing, the Deputy will appreciate that information in relation to the location of the specific projects involved in the regional development programme, their construction status and their ownership structure is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism.