Vol. 570 No. 2
359 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the progress to date in regard to the implementation of the RAPID programme for Athy; the amount of moneys made available for the implementation of the programme from his Department for Athy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18538/03]
As the Deputy will be aware, the RAPID programme aims to target the most disadvantaged areas of the country for enhanced development. No additional funding has been set aside for the programme but rather these areas are prioritised for support within existing budgets. The main programmes operated by my Department where a particular focus exists on RAPID areas is the national lottery-funded sports capital programme and the local authority swimming pool programme. One of the stated main objectives of the sports capital programme is to prioritise the needs of disadvantaged areas in the provision of facilities. The programme is run on an annual basis and allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country.
For the 2003 sports capital programme, following consultation with the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, it was decided that disadvantaged areas were those that have been designated by Government for special support through the schemes administered by Department – RAPID 1, RAPID 2, local drugs task force areas and CLÁR areas. Athy is included in the RAPID 2 scheme.
The 2003 programme was advertised in the national newspapers on 23 and 24 March 2003 and the closing date for receipt of applications was 25 April. A total of 1,330 applications were received before the closing date. The applications located in the RAPID 2 area of Athy have been identified by the RAPID area implementation team. All applications are being evaluated against the programme's assessment criteria, which are outlined in the guidelines, terms and conditions of the programme. I intend to announce the grant allocations for the programme as soon as possible after the assessment process has been completed.
Under the local authority swimming pool programme, projects which are developed in areas designated as disadvantaged qualify for financial support at 90% of the eligible cost of the project, subject to a maximum grant of €3.8 million. Contract documents submitted by Kildare County Council for the Athy swimming pool project are currently under consideration in my Department. Grants for swimming pools are not confirmed until a tender for the project has been approved.
