Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 May 2008
297 Deputy Tom Hayes asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will intervene in the case of a group (details supplied) in County Tipperary who were approved for a grant under the 2007 sports capital programme. [17388/08]
View answerUnder the Sports Capital Programme, which is administered by my Department, funding is allocated to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country.
The position is that under the Sports Capital Programme, grantees in receipt of funding over a specified level must enter into a Deed of Covenant and Charge in order to protect the Department's interest and ensure that the property remains in sporting use. To date, €596,974 has been allocated to this group in 1999, 2006 & 2007 under the Sports Capital Programme. A Deed of Covenant and Charge was executed by the group on 16 March 2007 in relation to their 2006 grant allocation. In this regard, the group's solicitors undertook to register the Deed of Covenant and Charge in the Land Registry (Property Registration Authority) within three months of receipt of the sealed Deeds. The sealed Deed of Covenant and Charge in duplicate was sent to their offices on 28 March 2007 for the purpose of registration by the group's solicitors.
I am advised by the Chief State Solicitor's Office (CSSO) that the Deed of Covenant and Charge has not yet been submitted to the Property Registration Authority for registration. I am further advised by the CSSO that this registration will need to be attended to prior to the release of the 2007 grant. The outstanding registration of the Deed of Covenant and Charge has been brought to the attention of the group's solicitors. A checklist of the remaining requirements of the Chief State Solicitor's Office was also recently sent to the group's solicitors in relation to the 2007 grant allocation.
I understand from the CSSO that while they have briefly spoken to members of the group on a number of occasions, under Law Society rules their primary contact must be with the group's solicitors.
