Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Burke for his kind words and I appreciate them very much. I also thank him for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to discuss the position on the Castlebar swimming pool proposal under the local authority swimming pools programme administered by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. The Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Deputy Brennan, sends his apologies. He cannot be here as he is out of the country.

The programme provides grant aid towards the capital costs of new public swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing public pools provided by local authorities or by other bodies where the application for capital funding is supported by the local authority. The current round of the programme has been closed to new applicants since July 2000. The programme provides maximum grant aid of €3.8 million per project. Four principal stages must be undertaken by a local authority in developing a swimming pool project. These are preliminary report including feasibility study, contract documents, tender stage and construction stage. Local authorities may not proceed to the next stage of a project until prior approval issues from the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Grant aid is formally allocated when the tender is approved. The Department's technical advisers, the Office of Public Works, evaluates each stage.

The policy since 2000 has been to give priority to the completion of the 57 projects within the round. Of these 57 projects, 28 have been completed and 14 are under construction or about to start construction, all of which have been grant aided. The number of other projects at various stages of the programme is 15 with four at tender stage, seven at contract documents stage and four at preliminary report stage.

Cumulative grant expenditure by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism under the programme from 2000 to the end of this year is anticipated to be approximately €108 million and this grant aid has leveraged total investment of approximately €327 million in public swimming pool facilities. Under the National Development Plan 2007-2013, €184 million is allocated for the provision of public swimming pools under the local authority swimming pools programme.

The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism is completing a value for money and policy review report of the local authority swimming pools programme. Among other things, the report will examine how the programme has worked to date and what changes, if any, are required to ensure its effective and efficient delivery. The report is being finalised and it is the intention of the Minister, Deputy Brennan, to publish it as soon as possible. Following consideration of the recommendations in the report it is the Minister's intention to launch a new round of the local authority swimming pools programme. When the programme is re-opened, it will be open to all local authorities to submit applications under the terms that will apply.

Mayo County Council submitted two proposals under the current round of the local authority swimming pools programme in respect of a pool in Claremorris and a pool in Castlebar. Mayo County Council prioritised the Claremorris pool project and submitted tender documents which are being evaluated and considered by the Department.

The Castlebar project dates back to April 1995 when the Department of the Environment and Local Government approved the preliminary report for a major refurbishment proposal of the existing pool in Castlebar. Following the approval of the contract documents by the then Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation in February 2000, Mayo County Council indicated in July 2002 that it intended to build a new pool on a site adjacent to Lough Lanagh holiday village which already incorporated dry sports facilities. The council engaged consultants to prepare a revised preliminary report which was submitted to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism in November 2004.

The report indicated that among the reasons for proposing a new site were that a new facility could be developed more quickly without any loss of amenity during the construction period of 15 months; a new complex could be designed without the constraints which would arise if the existing structure were used and with an efficient layout making it easier to manage and more customer friendly, particularly for people with disabilities; and much of the equipment at the existing facility was at the end of its life span and would not comply with current building regulations and best practice.

The work proposed for the new facility includes a 25 metre, six lane swimming pool, a children's learner pool with play features, sauna and steam room, viewing gallery, fitness gym, children's play room, meeting room and treatment room. This is getting better for Senator Burke as I go along.