The national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. In the period 1998 to 2005 a total of 10,540 applications have been received under the programme, which is advertised on an annual basis. This has resulted in the allocation of almost €395 million in grants in respect of 4,923 sporting projects in cities, towns and villages the length and breadth of Ireland.
All applications received under the sports capital programme are assessed on an individual basis by officials in the sports unit of my Department in accordance with a detailed set of assessment criteria as specified in the guidelines, terms and conditions for the programme, which accompany the application form for the programme. In addition to factors such as sporting impact, levels of disadvantage and financial viability, the assessment process takes into account existing levels of sport and recreational sport facilities in an area. In making recommendations on grant allocations, my Department uses the population levels in each county, currently based on the 2002 census figures, to determine a pro-rata level of funding.
Part of the assessment process includes consultations with other Departments and a range of bodies, including the Irish Sports Council, national governing bodies of sport and local authorities to identify projects of strategic importance. This consultation process provides an opportunity to prioritise projects that will fill identified gaps across the sporting landscape and target high population growth areas. The population data arising from the 2006 census including information on areas enjoying significant population increases will be used in future assessments of applications made under the sports capital programme.
Work has commenced on the audit with the immediate task being to establish a record of national and regional sports facilities as a first phase of the project. Ascertaining and mapping what is already in place is an important part of developing a strategic approach to future facility provision in terms of establishing the level of need that still exists in the sports sector and in helping to determine future priorities. It is expected that the data derived from the national audit of sports facilities will greatly assist and guide the assessment process of grant applications in the future. I expect that the first phase of the audit will be will be completed in advance of the 2007 sports capital programme. It will not therefore be available in time for the 2006 programme.