Vol. 526 No. 2
3 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the number of sports capital grants applied for in the scheme that closed in February 2000; the total value of the grants applied for; the number of grants allocated; and the value of those grants allocated. [26205/00]
By way of public advertisement my Department invited applications for funding under the sports capital programme for 2000 during December 1999. The closing date for receipt of completed application forms was 11 February 2000.
By the closing date 1,650 applications had been received from clubs and organisations throughout the country. The total value of grants applied for was £184 million.
My Department then carried out a detailed assessment of the applications in accordance with the published conditions and criteria pertaining to the programme. Following this assessment process, grants totalling £36 million were allocated to 677 projects under the sports capital programme 2000.
This shows the real picture of sporting infrastructure in Ireland. Almost 1,000 clubs and organisations were disappointed in their applications for funding. Grants totalling £184 million were applied for and £36 million was allocated. The real story is one of primitive infrastructure. Will the Minister now reconsider his position regarding a national stadium? He proposes to invest almost £1 billion in a national stadium when almost 1,000 clubs have been refused grant aid. In many of those clubs young people are dressing and undressing on the sides of ditches and preparing for matches in antiquated dressing rooms. Will the Minister reconsider his decision regarding a national stadium in the light of these frightening statistics?
I am delighted to say we are proceeding with the provision of facilities for all organisations. In 1995, when Deputy Allen was Minister of State with responsibility for sport he gave grants of £3 million. In 1996 he gave £5 million and in 1997 he gave £9 million. Last year the Government gave grants of £36 million, which is more in one year than the previous Government gave in its three years of office.
Grants to sporting organisations come from public money and criteria must be applied them. There are currently 1,300 applications for funding of £56 million. These projects are about to be started, being started or about to finish. Every grant application cannot qualify for funding.
Deputy Allen repeats the point about sports people changing on the side of the roads. I cannot imagine where the Deputy has been recently. I have been around the country and while I accept that some clubs work in very difficult circumstances, 96% of the applications I receive are the upgrading existing facilities. Perhaps the facilities exist thanks to money given by Deputy Allen. Sports people are becoming more discerning. They want better facilities and they should get them. Funding is being sought for floodlighting and so on.
Some of the £56 million will be returned to the Department of Finance because projects could not be started. Clubs are experiencing difficulties in finding people to do work on development projects. If we cannot spend £56 million, how can we be expected to spend £500,000, as Deputy Allen proposes? Is the Deputy proposing that plans should be drawn up and left idle? I am allocating funding to clubs which have the capacity to start projects.
Some clubs applied for small grants of between £5,000 and £5,000. The average grant last year was £53,000 and that is a huge improvement on previous years. There is political will, but the difference is that the stadium is a national project. It will be a national asset and the other people will be facilitated.
Unlike the Minister, I will not get involved in childish comparisons. The Minister knows the facts and why money was not as flúirseach in 1996 and 1997. There was no national plan then.
It has nothing to do with the national plan.
I deal with reality and I invite the Minister to visit some of the clubs of which I am aware where people must dress on the side of ditches and roads because of a lack of facilities. Clubs are not getting money because the funding is spread so thinly on the ground. Clubs seeking £20,000 or £30,000 are receiving £10,000 or £12,000 and they cannot proceed with projects. I ask the Minister to consider prioritising the development of a national sporting infrastructure rather than putting £1 billion into what I term the Taoiseach's "doughnut"– all icing and sweetness on the outside but a big hole in the middle. This national stadium will be underutilised. At present, it does not have an anchor tenant and it will be a millstone around the country's sporting infrastructure for many years to come.
A Millennium Dome.
It will be an Irish version of the British Millennium Dome.
We must proceed to Question No. 4.
The average grant was £53,000.
Childish stuff.
When the Deputy was in office, he was guilty of spreading grants around like snuff at a wake.
Different times and different places.
Barely one project got under way. The organisations are at least admitting now that the new way of doing things is far superior.
The Minister should get his priorities right. He should put people before monumental egos.
I call Question No. 4.
The Minister should put resources into real clubs
I totally disagree with the Deputy.
The Chair has called Question No. 4.
He objected to facilities such as those at Dublin Castle.
I did not.
We must proceed to Question No. 4. The time for this question has expired.
The national stadium will be a testament to monumental egos. It will do nothing for sport. There is no anchor tenant.
It will inspire people.
We must proceed to Question No. 4.
