Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 32: To ask the Minister for Tourism; Culture and Sport the date on which the national sports facilities strategy will be published. [6208/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply earlier today to Priority Question No. 3 (6348/11) in the name of Deputy Wallace.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 35: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport his plans to address the impact of social disadvantage on various forms of participation in sport. [6197/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Sports Council was established on a statutory basis on 1 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." Section6(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". The ISC operates participation programmes specifically aimed at disadvantaged communities. Details of these are available from the Council and on their website.