Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State's responses. In his final remarks, can he deal with the resistance to these types of projects from local authority officials, which is an issue that has become more prevalent? I am most aware of the case of Carrickmacross, where local elected members are united in their determination to see this project delivered. As the Minister, has rightly said, the local community has been campaigning and fundraising for a swimming pool for several decades. Every time something has been asked of the people of Carrickmacross, they have delivered. The difficulty is that many officials within the executive of the local authority are afraid that such a project, if it were to be developed, would end up becoming a drain on the local authority. Projects of this scale cannot always make a profit. It is important that the Department does not decide that this project needs to be cost-neutral. Sometimes the cost-benefit of a project does not come in euros through the door but from its societal benefit, from how it increases the attractiveness of a town for new families to move to and stay, and from the avenue it provides for young and old within the town. Can the Minister of State comment on the long-term sustainability of these projects when, hopefully, they are delivered?

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