Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to speak about two initiatives to do with education. One is the announcement on Monday by the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Mitchell-O'Connor, of a €20 million investment in Limerick Institute of Technology in terms of STEM. It is an investment in a science and IT building that is much needed and will facilitate between 600 and 1,000 students. It will be built by 2021. This is a very welcome addition to the campus.

The other issue I wish to raise is the swimming pool on the grounds of the University of Limerick. It is the only Olympic-sized pool in Ireland. There is a currently a problem with its floor and all competitions, for Munster and Ireland, have been cancelled for the foreseeable future. Replacing the part in question will cost €20,000 and they also have to replace 11 other parts, which will cost huge money. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister of State with responsibility for sport to intervene and to see if he can come up with funding for the floor to be fixed so the pool can be put back into working order as soon as possible.