49 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on the report of the Irish Sports Council high performance committee, published on 12 December 2001. [2544/02]

51 Mr. Belton asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if the recommendations in the Irish Sports Council high performance strategy committee report that an investment of 41 million be made over a five year period to underpin the high performance strategy will be fully supported by him; the amount allocated in 2002 to initiate this strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2665/02]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 51 together.

I asked the Irish Sports Council to carry out an in-depth review of Ireland's preparation for and participation in the Sydney Olympics, including the supports, programmes and schemes which were put in place leading up to the games. The report of the review, including recommendations for the Athens 2004 Olympics, was published on 6 February 2001.

Accordingly, the council established a high performance committee to assist and advise the council in the development of a high performance strategy for Irish sport. A wide range of interests were represented on the committee which produced the strategy, including athletes, national governing bodies of sport, the National Coaching and Training Centre, the Olympic Council of Ireland, the Paralympic Council of Ireland, Sports Campus Ireland, my Department and Sports Council Northern Ireland. This strategy was launched on 12 December last.

The strategy states that its implementation should be led by the Irish Sports Council in partnership with other key agencies. My Department is already providing substantial funding to the council to enable it to assist sports organisations and their athletes in their development. In the past three years since its establishment on a statutory basis, the Government has increased substantially the annual budget of the Irish Sports Council. The 2002 ISC annual budget of almost 26 million represents an increase of over 50% on the 2001 figure of 19.6 million and an almost 100% increase on the 2000 figure of just over 13 million. Additionally, our elite sportspersons have access also to the services of the National Coaching and Training Centre, the international carding scheme and the greatly enhanced range and quality of sports facilities now in place with the assistance of capital funding from my Department.

The Government, in recognising the need to invest in our elite athletes if we are to succeed in a consistent basis at world level, allocated 3 million in the budget to the Irish Sports Council to commence the implementation of strategy.