Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 July 2004
214 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when a consent to sale of a portion of lands (details supplied) in County Offaly will be signed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20737/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraGrants totalling €76,148 were allocated to the club in question in 1997 and 1998 under the sports capital programme which is administered by my Department. Approval of grants under the programme are subject to recipients meeting its terms and conditions. Among the conditions required is the execution of a Deed of Covenant and Charge, which provides, inter alia, for a refund of grants in the event of the facility not continuing to be used for the purpose for which the grant was allocated. The deed of covenant and charge is invoked by my Department’s legal advisers, the Chief State Solicitor’s Office, CSSO. The deed was successfully invoked to cover both grants which were paid out in full.
As a condition of the deed, the permission of my Department rather than the CSSO is necessary in order for the organisation which holds the deed to dispose of any part of the lands covered by it. My Department had previously consented to the disposal of a portion of the land covered by the existing deed with the club in question. The CSSO recently wrote to my Department to state that the club in question was seeking my Department's consent to the sale of another portion of the land covered by the existing deed. Before being in a position to agree to this consent, my Department required further information which it recently requested from the club. That information was received from the club today by my Department which will undertake to examine the information and proceed with the request for consent as soon as possible.
