Seán Crowe
Ceist:133 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the criteria for selecting projects for funding under the sports capital programme. [23808/03]
Adjournment Debate. - Sports Capital Programme.
The national lottery-funded sports capital programme allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country.
The criteria against which projects are assessed under the sports capital programme can be summarised as follows: the extent to which projects increase active participation and result in improved standards of sport – high priority is given to projects which are essential or integral to sports participation and to projects in disadvantaged areas; the financial viability of the project – higher rating is given to projects with a significant local contribution and those which demonstrate that the applicant will be able to maintain the project after completion; the need to achieve an equitable geographical spread of funds and an equitable spread of funds among different sports and community groups; and the extent to which applicants have consulted with other clubs, community groups, schools, the local authority and the national governing bodies in order to prioritise proposed improvements and facilities.
All applications are treated on their merits and highest priority is afforded to projects in disadvantaged areas aimed at increasing participation. High priority projects include those which are essential or integral to sports participation or performance, for example pitch development, floodlighting, dressing rooms and showers.
Following the assessment process each application receives a score, which decides its order of priority within its own county. Recommendations, based on conclusions from this process and having regard to the amount of funding available for distribution, are made to me, and I make the final decision on projects and grants to be allocated under the programme.
A copy of the guidelines, terms and conditions which applied to the 2003 sport capital programme is available on my Department's website, www.gov.ie/arts-sport-tourism
Seán Crowe
Ceist:134 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if special account is taken of applications for funding under the sports capital programme from projects in designated RAPID or CLÁR areas. [23809/03]
One of the stated main objectives of the sports capital programme is to prioritise the needs of disadvantaged areas in the provision of facilities.
For the 2003 sports capital programme, following consultation with the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, DCRGA, it was decided that disadvantaged areas were those that have been designated by Government for special support through the schemes administered by DCRGA, including RAPID 1, RAPID 2 and CLÁR areas.
Projects identified as being located in RAPID or CLÁR areas were permitted to have a lower minimum threshold in respect of local funding – 20% as against 30% – in order to qualify under the terms and conditions of the programme. Extra marks were also awarded to such projects during the assessment process ensuring them a higher placing in the order of merit within their respective counties for grant allocation purposes. Further marks were also awarded to projects endorsed by RAPID area implementation teams.