Vol. 537 No. 4
42 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the progress made to date regarding the commitments given in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness concerning the establishment of sports and recreational partnerships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16203/01]
The creation of local partnerships as envisaged by Government and the social partners in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness has now been incorporated by the Irish Sports Council in its Statement of Strategy 2000-2002. This sets out the pathway which will be followed by the council in the creation of such partnerships as a means of creating sustainable sports development infrastructure at local level.
The council is currently piloting the concept among the eight selected local partnerships which were announced on 2 May. These are located in Clare, Donegal, Fingal, Kildare, Laoighis, Roscommon, Sligo and north Tipperary and were selected, after open competition, to pilot local sports partnerships. Four other areas – Cork, Limerick, Meath and Waterford – are currently involved in an extensive development process with a view to joining the pilot programme in 2002. It is intended to have completed a full evaluation of the pilot by mid-2003 and, depending on the outcome, to proceed with the creation of a national network by the end of 2003.
Among the criteria taken into account in the selection process were the commitment of local statutory agencies and community and voluntary groups to the partnership approach and their plans for including those from disadvantaged communities in their activities.
