Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 19 Feb 1991

Vol. 405 No. 3

Written Answers. - National Lottery Funding.

Proinsias De Rossa

Question:

250 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for the Environment the reason an application for a national lottery grant, from the mid-western region of the Irish Girl Guides, to help provide a regional training headquarters for its 3,000 members was refused on two occasions; if the Minister of State's attention has been drawn to the fact that scouting organisations received a total of £330,000 for various dens for individual units, while girl guides received a total of only £5,500; if she intends to take any steps to ensure a fairer allocation of funds; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Charles Flanagan

Question:

272 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to an imbalance amounting to sexual discrimination in the distribution of national lottery funds from his Department; if he will confirm that over a two year period, funds to the order of £3.5 million were allocated to exclusively male clubs while a sum of £6,000 was granted to groups dominated by women; if he accepts that this is satisfactory; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Flynn)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 250 and 272 together.

As indicated in reply to Question No. 102 of 14 February 1991, allocations under the amenities/recreational facilities grant scheme take account of the desirability of the proposed work, the cost effectiveness of the project and the employment which may be expected to result, as well as the need to distribute available funds on an equitable basis to all areas of the country. The allocations are also designed to provide varied opportunities of enjoyment to all sections of the community.

Grant applications are not generally identified by reference to their degree of use by men or women. I do not accordingly regard the comparisons adduced in the questions as valid. All grant allocations are conditional on certification by the local authority concerned that the project, when completed, will be of public utility and will be available for public or community use as far as practicable.

As regards the particular application referred to in Question No. 250, I did not find it possible to allocate a grant because of the limited funds available for distribution. It would be open to the sponsors of the project to make a further application under the 1991 scheme.