The 4% reduction in Irish Sports Council funding has to be seen in a positive light given that it was only in July that the McCarthy Report recommended a 33% reduction in Irish Sports Council monies.

However, the Sports Capital Programme remains stalled with the €48 million (down 14% from the €56 million awarded in 2009) allocated to it. These monies will, like in 2009, be used to meet existing obligations in respect of grants previously awarded. There will be no new round of the Programme in 2010.

The same can be said of the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme which saw a 40% reduction in its 2009 allocation down from €12.4 million to €7.5. However, again these funds are going to meet existing obligations under the first round of the programme which closed in July 2000.

The government also allocated €4.5 million to the soon to be completed Aviva Stadium. This sum represented the final commitment of government to the project.

The National Sports Campus received approximately €5.29 million approximately €1.6 of which will go to meet running costs at the National Aquatic Centre as well as other current expenditure whilst €3.5 million is to go towards the refurbishment of the old Marine Buildings with a view to the setting up of a new Sport HQ for the National Governing Bodies of Sport. The future of the Campus in terms of the development of the sports facilities remains unclear.

The Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund was reduced by 13% from €68.128 million in 2009 to €59.264 for 2010. Interestingly, however the Horse & Greyhound Fund was removed from the Sports & Recreation Services Heading where it has sat in recent years to this year being an individual line in the Estimates.

A full breakdeown of the expenditure of the Department of Arts, Sport & Tourism can be found at page 75 of the 2010 Estimates available on the link below: