Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 18 May 2000

Vol. 519 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Sports Capital Programme.

Ms McManus

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise the application for funding of Loreto Bray community sports project with the Minister. This project will be of enormous benefit to the town of Bray and its hinterland. It will make a real and lasting difference to the lives of young people in a town where the development of such facilities is not keeping pace with the growth in population.

Bray is the eighth largest town in Ireland. It is a designated disadvantaged area. The population is still growing, particularly its child population, and yet it does not have any muli-purpose astra-turf facility. This is the first real chance the town of Bray has to provide such a quality facility. The project is a community driven initiative. It will serve not only Bray but the Wicklow region where no such facility exists. It includes a multi-purpose astra-turf pitch, floodlights, changing rooms and is located centrally in the town on the Loreto campus.

A detailed feasibility study has been undertaken and costings estimated. The local contribution is £140,000 which has already been arranged. The grant being sought is £560,000 or 80% of the cost. The Loreto Bray community sports project is representative of a range of local community groups who have a well established track record of achievement. They pursue policies of social inclusion to community integration. They include sports organisations, education establishments and Traveller and disability groups. They aim to promote integration through sport and recreation and to increase standards of sporting ability, to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population for improved facilities, to increase through specific strategies, participation in sport and recreation, to provide for more certainty in scheduling games and training sessions and thereby lengthen the sporting year and to provide a centre for regional games.

The case for investment in such a facility is overwhelming. Bray has a shortage of such facilities. This project is centrally located. It is close to special amenities. It has planning permission and car parking facilities. Its management structure is properly formed with responsibilities already defined, including that of a full-time project manager. All that is needed to make this project a reality is a recognition of its merits in concrete financial terms. If the Minister wanted a classic textbook example of a well thought out quality project that meets the needs of the community and social inclusion specification of his Department he need look no further than that of Loreto Bray community sports project.

This application for a capital grant under the sports capital programme is one of many but I am confident that no other has a better case or a better formulation in terms of meeting ministerial requirements. Historically, County Wicklow has not done well under the two sports grants schemes. The review group report shows that Wicklow received the lowest allocations of grant aid. In 1999 County Wicklow did badly in that it received approximately one-eighth of the County Donegal allocation and one-eighth of the County Kildare allocation. In this instance nobody can possibly argue that County Wicklow did not provide acceptable projects. This project, offering a high class badly needed and multi-functional resource for an entire community fulfills all the right criteria. If funding is granted work will begin in July and should finish in March 2001. This is a project I would urge the Minister to sanction. It will be an investment that will show a return in transforming the sporting and recreational lives of the young people of Bray and of County Wicklow.

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Mr. E. Ryan)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter on the Adjourment as it gives me an opportunity to outline the position on the allocation of funding under the sports capital programme.

The sports capital programme for 2000 was advertised in early December 1999. It was neces sary for all groups applying for funding to complete an application form and submit it to my Department by the closing date of 11 February 2000. Some 1,650 applications were received and acknowledged. Applications received under the programme including one in respect of Loreto Bray community sports project are currently being evaluated against the programme's assessment criteria which are outlined in the guidelines issued with the application form, a copy of which was sent by my office to each Member in December.

The criteria focus on the following factors: the extent to which the project in terms of growth targets will increase the level of active participation in sports, recreational sport and-or result in improved standards of sporting performance; the extent to which the project in terms of growth targets will serve to increase participation in disadvantaged areas; the technical merits of the project, that is, does it comply with standard technical specifications from the relevant governing body and statutory authorities; the financial viability of the project; in addition to lottery funding has the club-organisation sufficient funds or strong commitments to funding to complete the project within a realistic time frame; the level of local funding available; given realistic projections of income from the project the extent to which the applicant will be able to maintain the project after completion; the level of socio economic disadvantage in the area as defined by ADM's indicators and the current and planned level of sport and-or recreational sport facilities in the area; the need to achieve an equitable geographical spread of funds having regard to the range of existing facilities in each county; the extent to which applicants have consulted with other clubs, community groups, schools and the local authority in developing their proposal and the outcome of those consultations; the range of projects aimed at attracting people from disadvantaged areas; the strategies to be used to attract them; the need to achieve an equitable spread of funds among different sports and community groups; the priority of proposed improvements-facilities in relation to the club-organisation's existing facilities and the priorities for the individual sports as defined by the NGB.

I remind the House that in the past grant allocation under the sports capital programme was made on a county basis pro rata of the population level of the county. I appreciate under the system some small counties were concerned at the level of funding they received under the sports capital programme. Accordingly, I recently announced that subject to the number, quality and merit of applications received from counties I have decided to set a minimum level of support for each county at £200,000. This enhancement to the scheme will encourage sporting organisations in the smaller counties to be innovative in the prep aration of their plans for the provision of sporting facilities.

The assessment process is almost complete. I hope to announce the grant allocations under the sports capital programme for 2000 within the next few weeks. Until such time as the assessment process has been completed and the allocation made I will not be in a position to add any further to this statement.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.10 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 23 May 2000.