Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 December 2004
83 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he has made any contacts with the Department of Education and Science to advise on the provision and expansion of sporting facilities in national and secondary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31468/04]
View answerThe national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding for sporting and recreational facilities and equipment. While responsibility for the provision of facilities in national and secondary schools rests with the Department of Education and Science, applications from schools and colleges may be considered under the programme in certain circumstances.
Such applications must be made jointly with local sports clubs or community groups and must: provide for significant levels of usage — at least 30 hours per week throughout the year — by the local community during periods when the facilities are not being used by the school; and demonstrate that the facilities concerned will meet an identified deficiency in that locality, as formally agreed with other local groups and-or the local authority.
In this regard some discussions have taken place between officials from the Department of Education and Science and my Department during the period of the 2003 and 2004 sports capital programmes on considering applications involving schools. Under the 2004 sports capital programme, grants were allocated to ten such projects where the proposed facilities were to be clearly shared between schools and other community groups, including local basketball, GAA and soccer clubs.
The programme for Government includes a commitment to putting in place a long-term strategic plan to ensure the development of local sports facilities throughout the country. As part of that plan, an inter-agency steering group will be set up to devise this long-term strategy. It is proposed that, in addition to a number of other Departments, the Department of Education and Science would be represented on this steering group.
One of the issues likely to be considered by this group will be potential for greater co-operation between the Departments in the administration of programmes aimed at meeting the sporting and recreational needs of communities and maximising the use of existing sports facilities by local communities and, in particular, those located in schools.
