John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Gogarty for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan. Government investment in sport is essential to increase participation levels in all sports across all sectors of society. The allocation for the sports programme in budget 2026 is over €290 million, an increase of just under €60 million or 26% compared to the 2025 allocation. When the national sports policy was published in 2018, it set a commitment to double investment in sport to more than €220 million by 2027. Obviously, we are significantly ahead of that already.

With regard to the development of physical sports infrastructure, the role of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport is to provide capital funding for such facilities, including swimming pools. The construction and day-to-day operation of swimming pools is a matter for the respective local authority in the first instance. The Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the community sports facilities fund, CSFF, and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. Over €250 million was allocated to 3,048 community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 from the 2023 round of the CSFF, representing the largest ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland. The LSSIF was established under the 2018 national sports policy to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, typically those requiring investments greater than the maximum available under the CSFF. A total of €297 million has been invested through the LSSIF across 68 projects. The 2018 round awarded €124 million to 33 projects, including top-ups in 2023. In November 2024, €173 million was allocated to 35 projects following record demand. An allocation of €28.9 million was made to nine swimming pool projects. In addition, the CSFF has provided allocations in excess of €5 million over the last ten years to swimming projects.

Previously, the local authority swimming pool programme, LASPP, provided grant aid towards the capital costs of new swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing pools. Fifty-two pools have been completed and just one swimming pool project, Lucan, remains in the programme. Lucan swimming pool is currently under construction. I note that South Dublin County Council handed over the dry-side facilities, including the gym, to the appointed operator on 22 July 2025. These facilities were subsequently opened to the public on 28 July 2025. In relation to the funding provided to Lucan swimming pool, the Department, as the Deputy rightly states, provided a grant aid allocation of €3.8 million from the LASPP to South Dublin County Council, which is responsible for delivery of the policy. Formal approval for the grant was provided in 2019. To date, the Department has paid out €3.2 million to South Dublin County Council for the ongoing construction works on Lucan swimming pool. South Dublin County Council has confirmed that the construction programme for Lucan leisure campus was impacted, as the Deputy said, by supply chain issues, Covid and the war in Ukraine. Since then, various other factors have contributed to project delays.

I am informed that South Dublin County Council is actively working to advance the project and ensure delivery of the facility for the people of the area. A tender process for appointing a replacement contractor is complete and a preferred bidder has been identified and notified. This step is critical to progressing the project and completing the remaining works. The newly appointed contractor will assume responsibility for co-ordinating all remaining works which will include finalising the swimming pool element of the development. Following the conclusion of the contractual arrangements, an updated project completion date will be communicated publicly. This will provide clarity and certainty to the community regarding the timeframe for opening the leisure centre and swimming pool complex.

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