§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding was provided by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to the task force which was established for soccer in Northern Ireland. [103174]
§ Angela SmithThe Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) provided no funding to the task force which was established as part of the Soccer Strategy initiative. However, between October 2000 and February 2003, DCAL incurred direct costs amounting to £133,600 on the Soccer Strategy process as a whole. This figure includes support services provided by the Department to the task force.
§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what time was invested by the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure in the soccer strategy. [103173]
§ Angela SmithIt is not possible to quantify the amount of time invested by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) on the soccer strategy process. However, the soccer strategy is recognised as an important initiative to which DCAL has allocated appropriate resources while also ensuring that sufficient attention continues to be devoted by the Department to its other important sporting priorities.