Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this important issue. I call for the establishment of an independent international and expert inquiry into the recent forced closure of the National Aquatic Centre as a consequence of storm damage sustained after Christmas. Up to 60 local people working full-time and part-time at the centre have been laid off and a valuable amenity for swimming as a sport and for leisure activities has been lost to the local community, the eastern region and the country.

I welcome the information I received yesterday from the Office of Public Works, adviser to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism on the National Aquatic Centre, that it is appointing a firm of engineers, led by Mr. Jim Mansfield, to carry out an inquiry on a preliminary basis. I understand this will be a preliminary investigation which will examine the likely causes of the damage to the roof, the design of the building and the quality of the construction. I want the Minister to commit to publishing the results of this investigation.

There has been widespread shock and dismay in my constituency at the forced closure of the National Aquatic Centre resulting in the loss of many jobs and the loss of an important amenity. While there were extraordinarily high winds after Christmas, given the increasing frequency of severe weather conditions, surely all these should have been factored into the design of a new building costing in excess of €60 million. The roof of the Blanchardstown Town Centre, which is close to the National Aquatic Centre, was not damaged and neither were the roofs at Dublin Airport which are even more exposed in high wind conditions.

It is well known, perhaps not to the Minister, that the west and the north-west of Dublin are very exposed to high winds because they lie at the eastern end of a plain stretching to the River Shannon. The aquatic centre is also near the River Tolka and there is often a wind tunnel effect near a river. I would expect that buildings constructed in the area would be designed taking these factors into account. When one bears in mind the building cost in excess of €60 million, it makes the damage all the more incomprehensible. It is important that a full inquiry is established and that the results are published. I understand that further damage was caused by material from the lining of the roof blowing into the ventilation system of the aquatic pool.

The National Aquatic Centre is one of the pet projects of the Taoiseach. I understand the centre is ultimately under the management and ownership of Campus Stadium Ireland whose sole shareholders are the Ministers for Arts, Sport and Tourism and Finance and the Taoiseach. It is imperative that there is a thorough examination of the root cause of the problem. The insurance advice is that until the cause of the damage is clearly established, it is unsafe to allow the public near the complex. Who will bear the ultimate loss? Are the buildings still under warranty? Is there recourse to the architect, designers and builders of the centre or will the taxpayer have to foot the bill? I understand the company managing the centre is insured in respect of its activity but who ultimately bears responsibility for the overall liability for the building?

There has been a remarkable silence from the Government, the Ministers responsible for the building and the company, Campus Stadium Ireland. Employees and local people have been told little, including those who use the centre for sports. The centre was first opened to host the Special Olympics. It has been a great boost to water sports. It is important to sort out the cause of the dreadful damage. We need to know the duration of the likely repairs, the cost of the repair work, when the workers are likely to get their jobs back and if, in the meantime, any provision is being made for those who have been laid off. They received a short letter saying they would be laid off for a short period. They returned last week and were laid off again, this time with no timeframe on how long they are to be laid off.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Before I address the specific issue raised by Deputy Burton with regard to the damage to the National Aquatic Centre, I want to set this matter in its proper context. In 2000 the Government agreed to provide Exchequer finance to fund the provision of an aquatic and leisure centre at Abbotstown. Provision of the facility was by means of a design, build and operate procedure. A contract was awarded to a consortium that consisted of a construction company, Rohcon, an architectural company, S&P Architects, and an operating company, Dublin Waterworld.

The National Aquatic Centre was completed within the time schedule set for it and within the agreed budget of €70 million provided by the Exchequer. It was formally opened by the Taoiseach in March 2003. It is Ireland's largest indoor water centre and provides state-of-the-art swimming and diving facilities. The leisure waters element of the facility has proved to be particularly attractive as a family and young people's recreation centre. In the first year of its operations it attracted almost 1 million visitors and its popularity places it on a par with Ireland's top attractions, such as the zoo. The facility hosted the swimming events of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in June 2003. The centre hosted more than 600 athletes from 160 countries and the success of the event was widely acknowledged. The centre also successfully hosted the European short course championships in December 2003. Some 500 swimmers from 40 countries together with 200 coaches and officials participated in the championships. The national aquatic centre has been designed and built to the highest standards. During the course of the Special Olympics World Games and the European short course championships in 2003 it received the highest praise from international experts.

The concept of the national aquatic centre has been developed with a clear emphasis on commercial viability. The intention was that once built the facility would be a self-sustaining venture. To achieve this the national aquatic centre was leased to the operating company that formed part of the developing consortium. Dublin Waterworld Limited, has been responsible for all matters relating to the running of the facility since it concluded that lease agreement with Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited, the company entrusted with the development of the sports campus site at Abbotstown. Consequently the Minister and his Department are not involved in the day-to-day operation and problem solving but it has long been shown that a commercial operation is the most efficient and cost effective method of viable operation.

During the severe weather conditions experienced locally in the west Dublin area on New Year's Day, severe damage was caused to the roof of the building. The roof of the 50 metre pool and diving pool was damaged as was the roof of the leisure waters, in addition to damage to lights and fittings around the complex. As a result the national aquatic centre was closed to the public while the building was being made safe, the damage assessed and repairs undertaken. Fortunately nobody was hurt as the centre was closed for the holiday period.

The construction company that built the national aquatic centre responded immediately and did some initial repair work on 2 January to make the building safe. During the days immediately afterwards Campus Stadium Ireland Development Limited managed and oversaw the response to the situation. CSID's first priority was to ensure the safety of the general public and those using or working in the facility. It also focused on ensuring that the insurance assessors accurately assessed the damage, that repairs would be carried out as quickly as possible and that the debris in the vicinity of the facility was safely removed. The loss adjusters have commissioned an independent report from a firm of consulting engineers to deal with the design, material and construction issues and how the building structure performed in the extreme weather conditions that prevailed on New Year's Day.

To ensure the health and safety of the users of the facility and to avoid, in so far as is practical and possible, a recurrence of the damage, the Office of Public Works, at the request of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited has engaged engineers to examine the damage and to provide a preliminary report as a matter of priority. The engineering firm appointed by the OPW on behalf of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, will provide an independent layer of advice so that the design is in line with best practice. A preliminary draft report is expected by the end of this week. This report will be independent of any other technical or professional reports being prepared as a result of the storm damage. The Minister is anxious to have the facilities at the national aquatic centre open to the public as soon as possible but his first priority is to ensure that all health and safety issues have been addressed in relation to the buildings.

CSID, as the landlord, has appointed its own engineers to examine the damage, in addition to the loss adjusters' engineers. These reports are expected by the end of the week following which a programme of works will be put in place to ensure that the centre is restored to the highest standards.

With regard to the staff, while I do not wish to see anyone out of work, neither CSID nor the Minister has any control over this matter as staff are appointed directly by the operator, Dublin Waterworld. However, I assure the Deputy that the Minister and CSID are anxious to have the centre open as soon as possible. The Deputy will agree with me that the safety of the public is paramount and the centre cannot be reopened until the centre has been repaired and is deemed fit for use.