To ask the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what responsibility her Department has for ensuring that funding allocated for City of Culture Capital Legacy Projects in the North West is appropriately distributed and used.

I secured over £2m for the January to March 2014 period to support continuation of key projects from the City of Culture’s cultural programme and to prevent the loss of key benefits, partnerships and momentum after December 2013. This included strategic investment for sports facility development and other capital projects.

To ensure that additional funding for the North West is appropriately distributed and used, I have established a North West Office. Officials work on the ground, directly with communities and organisations in the North West to provide support. A North West team of three officials is in place with the Branch Head currently based in Derry in Orchard House.

My officials work closely with Sport NI and other relevant stakeholders to ensure sports capital projects in the North West are delivered.

Additional capital funding to support a sporting and cultural infrastructure programme across the North West will be subject to sufficient funding being made available through the October monitoring round.