Vol. 530 No. 6
390 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if grants are available towards the provision of educational or recreational facilities for local authority or voluntary housing estates where the residents associations of such estates are seeking to provide such facilities for their members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4923/01]
The aims and objectives of the sports capital programme administered by my Department are to develop an integrated and planned approach to the development of sports and recreational facilities; to assist voluntary and community organisations with the development of appropriate facilities in locations that will maximise use in terms of participation in sport and recreation; to prioritise the needs of disadvantaged areas in the provision of facilities and to encourage the multi-purpose use of facilities at national, regional and community level by clubs, community organisations and national governing bodies of sport.
It is open to any group meeting these objectives to apply for funding under the programme, but it should be noted that the closing date for receipt of completed applications for the 2001 sports capital programme was 9 February 2001.
I am informed by my colleague the Minister of State at the Department of Environment and Local Government, Deputy Molloy, that the provision of open spaces, recreational and sports facilities and amenity areas specifically in local authority housing schemes is a matter for the individual housing authorities in the first instance. In this context I would refer the Deputy to Parliamentary Question No. 866 of 31 January 2001.
