Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 December 2004
72 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he would provide an update regarding the proposed audit of the country’s sports facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31436/04]
View answer95 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if a national audit of sports facilities has been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31460/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 72 and 95 together.
A promise in An Agreed Programme for Government is leading to the preparation of a long-term strategic plan for prioritising the provision of these facilities throughout the country. My Department is currently drawing up plans for the conduct of a national audit of local sports facilities. Given the scale of such a task, some key decisions are to be taken now as to the type of information to be recorded and how it will be used. This will, in turn, determine the scope of the proposed audit and impact on the length of time it will take to complete.
As I mentioned previously, it could take a number of years to complete a comprehensive audit of all sports facilities so possible options to conduct the work in stages must be examined if it can yield useful results in the short term for input into the proposed strategic plan for the provision of sports facilities.
