Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 May 2003

Vol. 566 No. 1

Written Answers. - Departmental Programmes.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

396 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the amount of money spent by his Department in each of the RAPID areas since the inception of the RAPID programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12388/03]

Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Mr. O'Donoghue)

As the Deputy will be aware, the revitalising areas through planning, investment and development programme, RAPID, aims to target the most disadvantaged areas of the country for enhanced development. No additional funding has been set aside for the programme; rather, these areas are prioritised for support within existing budgets.

In my own Department the targeted areas are prioritised for investment and development under the national lottery-funded sports capital programme. This programme allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country towards the provision of sport and recreational facilities. Currently, projects located in disadvantaged areas are prioritised in the process of assessing applications under the sports capital programme. In recent years, up to and including the 2002 programme, disadvantaged areas were those which were designated by Government for special support through the regional operational programmes of the national development plan, namely, areas supported by area partnership companies, as designated by Area Development Management Limited. Local drug task force and RAPID areas also came within this definition.

Under the 2002 sports capital programme, a total of almost €44.4 million was allocated to projects in the disadvantaged areas as then designated. As the proposals for the development of sport facilities contained in the RAPID 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 in relation to that programme. However, within the broader definition of disadvantage many projects were supported.

Of the projects listed in the RAPID area implementation plans submitted subsequently for consideration, 40 would have been eligible for funding under the sports capital programme. Of these, 23 had not applied for funding under the programme and were advised to prepare applications for funding under the 2003 programme, and 17 had actually applied independently to the programme, of which 12 had been allocated funding, totalling €4.2 million. These were as follows:

RAPID Area	Project	2002 sports capital allocation
		€
Ballymun	Coultry Park	100,000
Ballymun	Balcurris	120,000
Ballymun	Cumann Báire Setanta	420,000
Cork – Knocknaheeny/Churchfield	Churchfield Swimming Pool refurbishment (dry facilities)	400,000
Dublin South Inner City	Donore Youth and Community Centre	440,000
Finglas	Finglas Youth Resource Centre	2,500,000
Limerick-South	Rathbane Public Golf Course	100,000
Limerick-South	Southill Weight and Power Lifting Club	4,000
Limerick-South	Old Christians GAA Club	30,000
Limerick-South	Janesboro AFC	70,000
Waterford	Saviours Boxing Club	1,000
Waterford	Bolton Football Club	15,000
Total		€4,200,000

The 2003 sports capital programme was advertised in the national newspapers on 23 and 24 March 2003. The closing date for receipt of applications was 25 April. More than 1,300 applications were received before the closing date. Having consulted with my colleague, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, on the designation of disadvantaged areas for the 2003 sports capital programme, it was decided that disadvantaged areas could be better prioritised by selecting only those projects located in RAPID 1, RAPID 2 and local drugs task force areas, in terms of urban disadvantage, and those located in CLÁR regions, in terms of rural development. RAPID area applications will be identified in consultation with the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, in the course of my Department's assessment of applications received under the 2003 sports capital programme.

Under the local authority swimming pool programme, which is also administered by my Department, the funding provided to pools located in RAPID areas since the inception of the programme is as follows:

	€
Ballinasloe	2,293,704
Dundalk	1,774,371
Ennis	146,020
Finglas	1,861,715
Navan	158,717
Tralee	53,278
Wicklow	266,645
Total	6,554,450