Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 65: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when it is envisaged that the second round of the local authority swimming pool grant scheme will be initiated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24544/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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A sum of €184 million has been provided in the National Development Plan 2007-2013 for supporting existing projects in the local authority swimming pool programme and for new projects to be selected following the launch of a new round of the programme. The terms and conditions of a new round will be devised taking into account the recommendations of the value for money and policy review report on the existing programme which has been completed by my Department and which will be published shortly. The launch of the new programme will be a matter for discussion as part of the Estimates process which will start shortly between this Department and the Department of Finance.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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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.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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That is a very distorted way of looking at the programme. Total expenditure of €120 million has gone in and this has leveraged approximately €378 million. Since 2002, some 57 new projects are being dealt with under the programme. This is a phenomenal number of direct pool projects. Some 45 projects have been allocated grant aid of which 34 have already been completed. I opened three of these in the past few weeks. The delivery of this programme has been ongoing at quite a pace.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Those were mainly refurbishments.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Some 34 have been completed, 11 more are under construction and 12 others are at various stages, two preparing tenders, seven preparing contract documents and three are preparing preliminary reports. The scale of the programme over the past number of years has been extremely significant. I agree with the Deputy. If the resources are available to me, I would like to open a second round of swimming pool programmes. That will be a matter for discussion between me and the Minister for Finance as part of the Estimates process.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The money was nominated in the national development plan but has been refused by the former Minister for Finance, now the Taoiseach. Clearly this is not a priority.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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We must move on. We are way behind time.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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That was in the context of a new Government being formed within a matter of weeks.