James Bannon
Ceist:127 Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when grant moneys from lottery funding due to a group (details supplied) in County Westmeath will be awarded. [9748/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 25 February 2010
Ceisteanna (129)
Freagraí scríofa
The club in question received provisional allocations totalling €114,000 under the Sports Capital Programme in 2003 and 2006, including CLÁR top ups. The provisional grant allocations are subject to the terms and conditions of the Programme which require that a Tax Clearance Certificate or C2 details is provided to the Department by the grantee in respect of each supplier from whom the value of goods purchased is €10,000 or more. While C2 details have been provided by the grantee in question for other invoices submitted, no Tax Clearance Certificate or C2 details have been provided to the Department by the grantee in respect of the invoice in question. The club was informed of the tax clearance requirements of the Programme in the letter of provisional allocation on 31 July 2003 and were further reminded in respect of the invoice in question by letter on 23 October 2009.
The terms and conditions of the Programme also require that grantees in receipt of funding over a specified level must enter into a Deed of Covenant and Charge in order to protect the Minister's interest and ensure that the property remains in sporting use. A deed of covenant and charge provides, inter alia, for a refund of the grant in the event of the facility not continuing to be used for the purpose for which the grant was allocated. The Department’s legal adviser, the Chief State Solicitor’s Office — CSSO — deals with the grantee’s solicitor in ensuring that these issues are satisfactorily resolved before grants can be paid. The current position is that the CSSO will write shortly to the grantee in question’s solicitor outlining the outstanding issues to be resolved.