Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister. I submitted this question because I was shocked to find out through a freedom of information request that the then Minister for Finance, the Taoiseach, Deputy Cowen, refused the Minister's predecessor permission to announce a new round. This will come as devastating news to the local authorities around the country which, far from providing new pools, are closing pools because of the absence of finance. Applications for the current scheme closed in 2000. It is eight years since any local authority could apply for funds, never mind to build a pool or to refurbish one. As the Minister knows, pools that are not refurbished become unhygienic, cannot be used and must be closed.

It is crucial to realise that, in an island nation, although swimming is on the primary and secondary school curricula, we do not have pools in which these children can learn to swim. With the local authority programme in England every citizen, adult and child, has access at very reasonable rates to a local authority swimming pool. The objective to coincide with the 2012 Olympics is to have free swimming available to every citizen in Britain. Could we at least provide the pools in which our children may learn to swim? It is ludicrous. Apart from the fact that where pools are available they are often privately owned and children in national schools pay huge sums of money for swimming lessons, large numbers of children never have access to a swimming pool. What contact has been made with the new Minister for Finance to see if this programme can be reopened? It is vital. It is ludicrous that we cannot have a swimming pool programme and that no applications have been accepted since 2000. It is unacceptable.

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