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

I am constantly going on about it. On the second last page, under the review of the initiative, it states that the review is expected to be finalised soon and that any issues identified will be addressed as part of the terms and conditions of the next call. I ask that the Department forward us the review when it is completed. We may well look back and forward on this.

The second issue is the statement that there is ongoing engagement with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform on the funding required to underpin any new round of funding. It would be useful to write to the Department and seek further details on that. I am struggling with the criteria. As I keep mentioning, one criterion was to have, as standard, one swimming pool for every 50,000 people. We are talking about public pools rather than pools in hotels and so on.

However, that is not how the distribution happens.

The other thing is that the funding model very often requires some degree of matching funding. The ability of local authorities to come up with that matching funding may well be an impediment. It could be an impediment in areas where there are high levels of disadvantage, for example. If the need for quality of participation in sports for all users were to be fulfilled, then swimming is one of the activities that goes right across from tiny tots to elderly people. I will be told off for not calling people "older people". Essentially, I do not see where that distribution has a whole lot of bearing on population. I do not see where the criteria outline that or where there is a match.

Swimming pools do not make money and are expensive to run. If there is not the population to support them, they are a drain on funds for other things so it is very important there is that distribution, where there is a sufficient population to warrant a swimming pool. For example, in the area where I live, in the whole of north Kildare, including the towns of Leixlip, Celbridge, Maynooth and Kilcock, there is probably a population of 85,000 or 90,000, but we have a pop-up pool in a GAA pitch that is funded by local industry and a few others, including the local authority through local property tax. That is the extent of it. If there is that kind of glaring gap, are there other places in the country where there is such a gap? Does it mean there has to be a Minister?