Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

What we get for what we spend is astonishing. That comes down to a significant level of volunteerism and some of the sporting bodies themselves generating funds.

I, too, was hugely impressed the day we went out to Abbotstown. The extent of non-elite participation is phenomenal. Something that arose repeatedly was that we tend to be fragmented in how we do things but this was a demonstration of what occurs when one integrates rather than fragments. All of the sports bodies talked about how they benefitted from one another by being on that campus and it would be a pity if there was a delay in getting that campus to the next stage. That is something with which I doubt any of us would disagree.

The Minister mentioned the local authorities swimming pool programme. It is quite a small programme. There were two new swimming pools funded under it in recent years. I do not know whether they are constructed at this stage. One was in Castlebar and I cannot remember where the other one was. I remember there being three because the pool that did not get funded because the application was made on private lands was the one in north Kildare. I am acutely aware of that.

That programme, where it is a contribution from the State towards swimming pools, falls far short of what is required to build a swimming pool. Leaving aside locations, it can very much depend on whether a local authority can come up with matching funds. If we are to have a swimming pool programme that ensures equality of availability of the type of sporting facility that can span the age spectrum, that needs to be looked at again.

The Minister will find, for example, that poorer areas are unable to come up with matching funds where they may have sufficient population to cover the running costs but the build costs are a real problem.

From which budget does the cost of the OCI report come? I understand that will run to a few hundred thousands of euro.