Vol. 552 No. 3
174 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if there is a scheme in his Department whereby a community group can apply for funding to upgrade a local community hall or obtain funding for other community projects; if a contact or liaison person in his Department co-ordinates such an application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12499/02]
The national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, provides funding to voluntary sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country towards the provision of sport and recreational facilities. The programme is advertised on an annual basis and the closing date for the receipt of completed applications under this year's programme was 4 January 2002. The 2002 round of grants under the programme were recently announced and grants in excess of €75 million were allocated to 850 projects throughout the country. It is expected that the next programme will be advertised later this year and it will be open to the organisation concerned to apply for funding under this programme.
My Department also provides the Chair and secretariat of the young people's facilities and services fund, YPFSF, and for which funding is channelled through the Department of Education and Science. The fund was established in 1998 as part of the Government's overall strategy to tackle drug misuse. The fund aims to assist in the development of youth facilities, including sport and recreational facilities, and services in disadvantaged areas where a significant drug problem exists or has the potential to develop. The objective of the fund is to attract "at risk" young people in disadvantaged areas into these facilities and activities and divert them away from the dangers of substance abuse. The primary focus of the YPFSF to date has been on the 14 local drugs task force areas in Dublin – 12, Bray and Cork, and the urban centres of Limerick, Galway, Carlow and Waterford.
