Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 October 2009
100 Deputy John O’Mahony asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the progress made on the review of sports capital funding; when he envisages that new applications will be accepted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37601/09]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, is the primary vehicle for Government support for the provision of sports facilities and equipment in this country.
Since 1998, through the sports capital programme, the Government has invested over €725 million in over 7,400 separate sporting projects. This investment has transformed the Irish sporting landscape, with improved facilities in virtually every village, town and city. The facilities funded range from basic sports facilities and new equipment for the smallest clubs to regional integrated multi-sport centres and national centres of sporting excellence.
This investment is evidence of the importance that the Government places on sport. Sports facilities that are well-planned, built and managed have the ability to act as focal points for a community and allow more people to get involved in healthy activities. Participation in sport is important for many reasons. For individuals, participation has health benefits, builds confidence and gives people a sense of their worth. For society as a whole, sport can reduce antisocial behaviour while sporting success has the ability to lift the spirits of whole counties and even the whole country.
Two reviews of the sports capital programme have been undertaken in the past. The first covered the period 1988–98 while the second covered the period 1999–2002. The national sports facilities strategy will provide an improved policy platform for any future rounds of the programme. For further details on the strategy, I refer the Deputy to my reply to the previous question.
No decision has been made on the timing of future rounds of the programme. However, €56 million has been provided in the C1 sub-head of the Department's Vote in 2009 out of which grants are paid for the provision of sports and recreation facilities. Almost 1,300 payments, with a total value of €47 million, were approved by the Department from this sub-head by close of business on 19 October. All of the €56 million provision will be distributed to grantees in the current year in line with the previous years.
I am a little confused by the Minister of State's response. The question concerns the review and is pertinent to the discussion we had on the previous question. The bottom line with regard to what I and the public want to know is who decides on the allocation or distribution of the sports capital funding? Is the Minister of State aware of the deep dismay that exists with regard to the geographical distribution of sports capital funding over the years?
Deputy Mansergh mentioned the sports strategy. In a five-year period, County Kerry, for example, got €20 million and my constituency of Mayo got €10 million. The Minister mentioned headlines in The Kerryman when sports funding was allocated there and the criticisms of those who did not receive grants. I can show the Minister of State another headline, which states, “Former Minister left ‘bill’ of €124 million in sports grants”. Are we paying for the withdrawal of sports capital funding now because too many promises were made in 2007 and in the lead up to the general election?
Between 2006 and 2007, some €173 million was allocated in sports capital grants. In 2008, some €50 million was allocated, but there have been no grants allocated in 2009 and there is no prospect of them in 2010 if I understand the Minister of State correctly. Is it his view that the review should ensure the allocation of grants is distanced from the political system, particularly if the distribution is such as that we have been getting? For example, in County Kerry a swimming pool project was allocated €5 million in 2006, yet the response to the previous question stated the strategy was completed in 2005 and that funds would be targeted. Some €5 million was provided for a pool in Killarney in 2006, when there were 15 other swimming pools, and in fact that project is no longer viable and may be closed down. Will the Minister of State please answer those questions?
I shall certainly answer them, and in no particular order. I would not be pre-empting what is going to happen in 2010, and I do not believe my answer pre-empted budget decisions in either a positive or negative direction in that respect.
I should be delighted if the Minister of State would announce they are coming back.
My experience, based on being a Deputy and Senator, in regard to grants has shown me that the applications are looked at very professionally by civil servants, assessed and marks awarded based on their quality. In 2007 I had the experience where many clubs in Tipperary were getting grants, except for the one with which I was associated. One has to live with this and I have been present at constituency level meetings between organisations and the Minister, where people went away with the impression that their applications would be favourably looked at. When the decisions were announced, however, for objective reasons they unfortunately did not qualify.
We have seen many examples in the agricultural sphere, but I suppose it is true of all Government grants that they tend to get oversubscribed. I am around long enough to remember the home improvement scheme of 1985 and the successor Fianna Fáil Government was still paying out grants on that up to 1990. Every so often with such schemes, and particularly in economic circumstances such as we have at present, it is necessary to pause and consolidate, to deal with existing commitments and a Minister is not in a position to take on more. However, what the situation will be in 2010, as to whether new applications will be invited, I cannot pre-empt.
I see from the answer to Deputy Upton yesterday on the "sunset clause", that clubs which were awarded grants subsequently had them withdrawn. The figure came to €27 million over the last five or six years and €8 million in 2008. Can the Minister of State guarantee that this money will be put back into sports funding or that it will not be lost to sports capital funding? He must be aware of the desperation among sports clubs and organisations for any type of financial encouragement, however much reduced. As regards the review, we obviously want to get away from a situation where Deputies are ringing clubs and telling them to get their applications in as they are going to be granted money. We must end that practice, and introduce a fair system. The money that has been allocated is good, but it needs to be structured better than it has been in the past.
Certainly, the programme operates on the principle that if a grant is not used after a year or two, then it is lost. In those circumstances, funding not used by club X goes back into the general fund and can be applied to commitments for clubs Y and Z.
Will it stay in sport?
It stays within the pool.
