Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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991. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the financial supports or grants that are available to boxing clubs funded by his Department, directly or via other bodies. [49628/14]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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In 2011 I allocated €1.25m to the Irish Amateur Boxing Association to improve the standard of facilities of boxing clubs throughout the country.This grant was overseen by the IABA and all affiliated clubs could apply for a maximum grant of €25,000 to improve the standard of their premises.  In 2013 I decided to continue this successful scheme and allocated an additional amount of €1m to the IABA.  In July 2014 I announced a further special allocation of €975,000 to the IABA. Most of the allocation (€750,000) was to further extend the 2011 facilities initiative. A smaller portion of the allocation (€150,000) was to enable the IABA to purchase equipment for boxing clubs, while €75,000 was provided for works at the National Stadium.  While all of the grants in this scheme have been allocated, the IABA will still accept applications to place on a waiting list in the event that any existing clubs in the scheme fail to take up their grant. 

The Sports Capital Programme is the Government’s primary vehicle for supporting the development of sports facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment.  Any organisation interested in applying for a grant under the next round of the Sports Capital Programme should register on OSCAR at (if not already registered). OSCAR is the portal on the Department's website which must be used by organisations to register, to apply for funding (when the Programme is open for applications) and to manage the drawdown of any grants allocated. It should be noted that in order to register on OSCAR a tax registration number from the Revenue Commissioners is required. I hope to announce a further round of the Sports Capital Programme in the near future.

It may be possible for clubs to raise funds via the ‘Tax Relief for Donations to Certain Sports Bodies’ scheme (section 847A of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997). This is a Revenue operated scheme which offers tax benefits to individuals or companies who make donations to sports clubs.  Further details on this scheme and how it operates can be found on the Revenue Commissioners website.