Seanad debates

Wednesday, 29 June 2005

10:00 am

Photo of Brian Lenihan JnrBrian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I will respond to the Senator on behalf of the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue. The Loughrea project is not the only swimming pool project under discussion at present. I do not have responsibility in this regard, but I will deal with this matter this evening because the Minister is abroad on business. While the project in question is not the most famous swimming pool project in the country, I thank Senator Ulick Burke for raising its current status on the Adjournment. I hope the reply I will give will be of some assistance to him. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, I propose to outline the current position of the local authority swimming pool programme and, specifically, the Loughrea swimming pool project.

As Senators are aware, the aim of the local authority swimming pool programme is to assist local authorities to provide new public swimming pools or refurbish existing swimming pools. Grants of up to €3.8 million are available for the refurbishment of existing pools or the provision of new pools, subject to the total grant not exceeding 80% of the eligible cost of the project or, in the case of projects located in areas which are designated as disadvantaged, 90% of the eligible cost. Support is available to meet the cost of swimming pools, toddler pools, saunas and steam rooms.

The closing date for the receipt of applications under the current swimming pool programme was 31 July 2000. Some 55 projects have been dealt with since then or are being dealt with at present. If a project is being undertaken by an organisation other than a local authority, it must be considered, supported and submitted by the relevant local authority. The local authority must be satisfied before it supports a project that the proposal is viable, that the balance of funding required to complete the project is available and that the project, when completed, will have a satisfactory level of public access.

Various stages must be completed before a decision can be made about the formal allocation of moneys under the programme. The four main stages in a swimming pool project are, in order of progress: feasibility study and preliminary report; contract document; tender; and construction. The technical adviser to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism is the Office of Public Works, which evaluates each stage of the project. Local authorities cannot proceed to the next stage of a project unless prior approval has been issued by the Department. Grant aid, which is allocated when tenders have been approved for the project, is capped at the time of the allocation.

I would like to put the proposed Loughrea swimming pool project in context. A feasibility report, representing the first stage in the development process, was submitted by Galway County Council for a swimming pool in Loughrea and was assessed as being in order from a technical perspective in 1999. Due to the limited funds available under the programme at that time, the council was advised that it could be some time before funding might be made available for the project. In 2001, the then Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation gave approval for appointment of consultants for the preparation of the preliminary report.

However, in 2002, the Department was advised that a proposal involving an alternative site was being considered and that the process of appointing consultants for a preliminary report and design was underway. In 2004, Galway County Council submitted a tender proposal seeking a grant from the swimming pool programme for a project promoter by a private sector interest to construct a leisure centre, including a swimming pool, on a council site different from that initially recommended in the 1999 feasibility report. The private sector interest would provide a significant amount of funding towards the project and there would be some additional support from a local community grouping.

As already outlined, the normal procedure under the local authority swimming pool programme is that approval should first be sought at preliminary and contract document stages, before tenders are invited for a project. It is clear that this process was not followed by Galway County Council. Notwithstanding this, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism indicated to the council that it would be prepared to examine the proposal on its merits and this examination is under way. Issues such as the tender process, which has already taken place, public access, social inclusion and control and management of the pool must be carefully evaluated to ensure that the project fits properly within the local authority swimming pool programme. In this regard, Department officials are to meet soon with county council officials and members of the county development board to address these issues. On completion of this evaluation, the Minister can consider the matter further.

It will be of interest to the Senator to know that, overall, there are 55 projects in the pool programme. Since 2000, almost €49 million has been spent on public swimming pools and 17 projects have been completed. These include a new pool in Ballinasloe, County Galway, which was opened to the public in 2002. Some eight projects are at construction phase in Tuam, Ballyfermot, Drogheda, Jobstown, Youghal, Cobh, Letterkenny and Monaghan. The pool under construction in Tuam is due to open in the autumn, giving two new pools to County Galway in the past three years. The Galway East constituency has received two pools in the past three years.

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