Vol. 561 No. 4
337 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the national development plan outlay in the Waterford constituency for 2002; the percentage this was of his Department's total national plan outlay for 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4712/03]
Funding for national development plan purposes under the auspices of my Department is channelled through four different operational programmes. The productive sector OP provides funding to Bord Fáilte and Tourism Ireland Ltd. in respect of tourism marketing and funding to Bord Scannán na hÉireann in respect of capital grants. Funding in respect of tourism training is provided to CERT and to Bord Scannán na hÉireann for film training, through the employment and human resources OP. Because of the nature of these two programmes, it is not possible to apportion funding on a county basis. However, I understand that CERT spent €1.7 million in Waterford last year on training for 271 people on unemployed, industry and college-based programmes.
National development plan funding for tourism product development purposes is channelled through the tourism measures of the local enterprise development priority of the BMW and S&E regional operational programmes. The commencement of these measures was delayed because of the need to obtain state aids approval from the EU and, as a result, no expenditure took place under this measure in either OP in 2002. National development plan funding in respect of sports facilities falls under the culture, recreation and sports measures of the local infrastructure priority of the BMW and S&E regional OPs. Implementation of these measures could not commence until the national spatial strategy was published. Publication of the strategy occurred in December 2002 and, therefore, no expenditure under the sports facilities programme was incurred in 2002.
No expenditure took place in 2002 in County Waterford in relation to the arts and culture facilities sub-measure of the culture recreation and sports measures of the local infrastructure priority of both regional OPs.
