Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the way an association (details supplied) will be recognised here as a national sports organisation. [46120/09]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish Sports Council (ISC), which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body responsible for the promotion, development and coordination of sport which includes responsibility for dealing with the recognised sporting organisations and allocation of funding to same.

The ISC was established on a statutory basis on 1st July, 1999, and the functions of the Council are outlined in Section 6 of the Irish Sports Council Act 1999. Section 6 (1)(a) states that one of the functions of the Council shall be "to encourage the promotion, development and coordination of competitive sport and the achievement of excellence in competitive sport." Section 6.1 (b) states, as one of the functions of the Council, that the ISC has responsibility for developing "strategies for increasing participation in recreational sport and to coordinate their implementation by all bodies (including public authorities and publicly funded bodies) involved in promoting recreational sport and providing recreational facilities".

This includes recognition, for purposes of funding or for any other reason, of any sporting or recreational activity, including dealing with sporting organisations and allocation of funding to same. The Department provides funding to the ISC and the ISC allocates funding to the sporting organisations (including the Federation of Irish Sport, the Olympic Council of Ireland, the Paralympic Council and the National Governing Bodies of sport), at the discretion of the ISC and based on ISC criteria. As this matter falls within the day to day responsibilities of the ISC I have asked the Council to provide the Deputy with the information sought.