Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 June 2004
125 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will give the maximum support and advice to a club (details supplied) in Dublin 9; and to work closely with the club in seeking a pitch. [18915/04]
View answerThe national lottery funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. While this scheme does fund pitch development work, it specifically excludes support for the purchase of premises or sites.
Grants totalling €303,158 have been allocated to the club in question since 1999 under the sports capital programme including a grant of €50,000 provisionally allocated under the 2004 programme. Of these allocations approximately €203,000 was towards the development of a full size sand based pitch and an all weather training facility. To date all of the funding allocated to the club has been paid with the exception of the 2004 provisional grant which I announced last month and which was towards replacing the roof of their main hall.
It is open to the club, should it wish to do so and should it have a project which satisfies the terms and conditions of the programme, to submit an application to the 2005 sports capital programme when that scheme is publicly advertised towards the end of this year.
126 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will give the maximum support and assistance to a group (details supplied) in Dublin 9 in their efforts to find a den or to point them in the direction in getting a premises on the northside of Dublin. [18916/04]
View answerThe national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. It is advertised on an annual basis. Projects under the programme must be directly related to the provision of sport and recreation facilities. The programme does not assist in the purchase of sites, premises or personal equipment but rather only projects of a capital nature, which, for the purpose of the programme, are defined as expenditure on the improvement or construction of an asset and includes any costs directly incurred in this process and purchase of permanently based sports equipment, that is, equipment which is securely housed and will remain in use for five years or more.
My Department can only assist the organisation in question should it have a project in keeping with the basic criteria for the sports capital programme, as listed above, in which case it is open to them to apply under the 2005 sports capital programme, which is likely to be advertised towards the end of this year. The organisation has not applied to the programme in recent years. It can contact the sports unit of my Department if any further information is required.
