October 21 2008 by Paul
Palmerstown Sports Complex
To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will guarantee continued funding for the sports complex at a school (details below) in County Dublin; when he will make a decision on such funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
(Palmerstown Sports Complex, Pobal Scoil Iosolde, Palmerstown, Dublin 20, which risks closure in December 2008 due to lack of funding, given that the complex only opened in September 2008 and that to allow it to close after only three months would deprive the area of a much-needed community facility and would have detrimental and potentially costly knock-on effects)
The halls referred to by the Deputies were built as part of a programme to develop community sports halls in drugs task force areas in Dublin and Cork. The stated objective of the programme was that each hall would be dual use in nature in that they would be accessible to the wider community as well as to the local school population. The intention was that, apart from normal school usage, the facilities would be available as much as possible to the community and, in particular, to target groups such as youth at risk.
An application was made by my Department in 2006 for dormant accounts funding to enable community usage of the halls to commence. Government approval was received in 2007 for the drawdown of funding of approximately €2.1 million in respect of six of the halls, including those referred to by the Deputies. In regard to these six halls, management structures were put in place and community groups were given access. The position is that the allocated dormant accounts funding will provide for the operation of these halls until the end of 2008. My Department does not fund community facilities but we are in contact with other Departments with responsibilities in this area and will be in contact with the relevant stakeholders as quickly as possible.
