John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

I reiterate that I want to see the National Aquatic Centre reopen at the earliest possible date. Although I fully understand the frustration of the staff and the general public, including members of facility clubs, at the continued closure of the centre, the alternative scenario, that of opening the centre while there was a risk to people using the facilities, is not an option that anybody would be prepared to contemplate. Therefore, the inconvenience of the centre being out of commission is the lesser of two evils.

To be fair, Campus Stadium Ireland has, over the past months, put a considerable effort into working with the various parties to have the centre reopened as quickly as is feasible in the context of finding a safe solution. Naturally, I am also concerned to ensure the taxpayer's interest is protected to the best of my ability. That is my duty and, more particularly in this instance, it is the delegated function of Campus Stadium Ireland.

It is a matter for the contractors and-or their insurers to ensure that the aquatic centre is reopened at the earliest possible opportunity. I do not foresee an eventuality whereby the taxpayer will be obliged to foot the bill for that. Unfortunately, there has been a lapse of time between the commencement of work and the damage which occurred but much of that was down to weather constraints and the necessary steps which had to be taken to ensure reports were available to identify the cause of the problem and who should be liable for it. It took some time to resolve such issues. I do not accept there has been an inordinate delay. The time that has passed has been used constructively by Campus Stadium Ireland Development Limited and its agents. While it is regrettable that the centre will not be reopened at an earlier time than that now envisaged, we had to ensure that all the necessary steps were taken to safeguard the health and safety of the facility's users, to protect the interests of taxpayers and to ensure that due process was applied throughout.

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