Vol. 541 No. 2
828 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands if she will provide the necessary funding to enable the Brendan Kennelly Cultural Centre in Ballylongford, County Kerry to proceed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20906/01]
The Brendan Kennelly Cultural Centre in Ballylongford made application for funding under the ACCESS scheme but it was not recommended for grant aid by the advisory committee which evaluated all applications, and, therefore, was not included in the list of projects put before me for consideration. The ACCESS scheme attracted great interest and was oversubscribed with 180 project promoters seeking grant aid in the order of £224 million. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that with ACCESS funding restricted to £36 million, difficult decisions had to be taken, and many worthwhile projects had to be omitted from the final list.
