There is no specific funding available in my Department for distribution under the revitalising areas through planning, investment and development – RAPID – programme. Targeted areas are, however, prioritised for investment and development under the national lottery funded sports capital programme. The programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country towards the provision of sport and recreational facilities.
Projects located in disadvantaged areas are prioritised in the process of assessing applications under the sports capital programme. Disadvantaged areas are those which have been designated by Government for special support through the regional operational programmes of the national development plan, that is, areas supported by area partnership companies as designated by Area Development Management – ADM – Limited. RAPID areas come within this definition. Under the 2002 sports capital programme, a total of almost €44.3 million was allocated to projects in the designated disadvantaged areas.
Officials of my Department are consulting with the RAPID national monitoring committee on how targeted areas can be prioritised within the 2003 sports capital programme. As the proposals for the development of sport facilities contained in the area implementation plans were not submitted to my Department prior to the closing date for the 2002 sports capital programme, it was not possible to prioritise them for this year's programme.