Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 213: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the amount of the sports budget for 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28673/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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An amount of €117.721 million has been allocated for sport and recreation services in my Department's Vote for 2010. A detailed breakdown of this budget is outlined in the Revised Estimates for 2010.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 214: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the number of projects throughout the country that have been approved for lottery funding and have not yet commenced the project; the amount of money allocated to the projects; if there is a time frame within which each project must commence; if it is her intention to introduce a new sports capital programme; the way in which money from the lottery is now dealt with in the absence of such a programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28696/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Sports Capital Programme, which is part funded by the National Lottery, funding is allocated to sporting and to voluntary and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country.

At the end of 2009 the total level of outstanding commitments on hand from previous rounds of the Sports Capital programme was just over €117m. This represented approximately 1,900 separate allocations. An amount of €48m has been provided in the Department's Estimates for 2010 to meet payments in respect of previously allocated grants under the Programme.

Typically grantees are allowed a period of approximately 16-18 months to begin the drawdown of their allocations. However for a variety of reasons it can take grantees several years to draw down allocations. Some of the more common reasons for this include: delays in finalising the legalities required to protect the State's investment; delays in the planning process and/or construction; and difficulties in raising the required own funding.

The Department has a grant withdrawal programme in place whereby projects where the delay in progressing the project is excessive, or the project has ceased, the Department seeks to withdraw allocations. While this is a labour intensive and time consuming process an amount of €1.4 million was withdrawn in 2009.

The proceeds from the National Lottery form part of the General Exchequer managed by the Department of Finance.

No decision has been made on the timing of the next round of the Programme.