The application for a grant from the health allocation of national lottery funds referred to was considered for a grant in both 1997 and 1998. However, the number of applications for national lottery grants received in any one year far exceed the available resources and it was not possible to assist in this particular case during 1997 or 1998.
There is a set protocol in place for processing applications for national lottery grants. When an application is received in my Department it is registered in the finance unit and forwarded to the relevant services division for their assessment, evaluation and recommendation. All applications are then considered in the context of the recommendation from the relevant service division and the overall level of funds available. The application referred to by the Deputy has been referred to the relevant service division and will be considered in the context of the funds available to me in 1999.