Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, for taking this Commencement debate. I want to highlight the ongoing lack of swimming pools, or even of a swimming pool, in my constituency of Dublin Fingal and the long-standing frustration of the communities and towns in the constituency at that lack. I know the Minister of State is in charge of the Central Statistics Office. It can be seen from the latest census figures on population released last week that the population of Dublin Fingal has grown by 12% since 2016. We now have more than 170,000 citizens living in Dublin Fingal but no swimming pool.

By way of comparison, the county of Leitrim has a population of 35,000 and has two swimming pools. I do not begrudge the people of Leitrim their two swimming pools but we have none. There is no public pool for the large towns of Skerries, Balbriggan, Lusk, Rush, Donabate and Swords. There are tens of thousands of people living in these villages but they have no pool. Nearly three years ago, it was promised that a pool would be built in Balbriggan alongside a relatively new housing development called Castlelands but it never materialised. In Skerries, planning permission was granted for a swimming pool on council land at the ballast pit in 2000. Despite this, there is no swimming pool and the planning permission has now lapsed. I really encourage the Minister of State's Department to revisit this. The local councillors, including Councillor Tom O'Leary of my own party, have been working hard with the council locally to try to get the issue back on the agenda.

A local group, the North Fingal Pool Campaign, was established a number of years ago. Genuinely month in and month out, it has been calling for a public swimming pool in north Fingal to serve the towns of Balbriggan, Balrothery, Balscadden, Skerries, Lusk and Rush and the tens of thousands who live in those towns who have no access to a pool. It is high time that the families and communities of north Fingal were able to avail of a local swimming pool.

As Minister of State with responsibility for sport, I do not have to tell Deputy Chambers that Swim Ireland tells us that swimming is in the top three sports that girls and women say that they want to participate in. More than 290,000 people swim at least once a week in Ireland. It is the most popular activity among older adults. There are also health and social benefits. One of the biggest barriers is access to a pool.

To be fair, we in Fingal are extremely fortunate to have some of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland, which a great many people use. Even more have been using them over recent years because of the Covid pandemic. However, the sea is not always an option for people who wish to swim, particularly in the winter months. You cannot run water aerobics for older adults and, in many cases, it is not safe for our children. Notwithstanding any inaction over recent years, I want to make the case that the best time to do something is now. I ask for the support of the Minister of State and his Department and for them to work with Fingal County Council to ensure we get access to a swimming pool.

Ireland's first pop-up pool was launched in Donabate Portrane Community and Leisure Centre a number of weeks ago. It is a fully heated pool in a structured marquee that can accommodate 16 children at a time. It has been greatly oversubscribed. It is really popular and welcome but we do not want a pop-up pool. We want our own state-of-the-art full-length swimming pool where the communities of Dublin Fingal can enjoy access to a local amenity week in and week out.Will the Minister of State's Department give us its view on the possibility of constructing a modular swimming pool? I am informed they can built for just under €1 million, as opposed to the €25 million that would be needed. This is probably the problem with Fingal County Council. Despite the fact it is one of the wealthiest and has the largest income of any county council in the country, I appreciate that €25 million is lot of money. I want to know the Minister of State's opinion on modular swimming pools that can be built for €1 million. I could suggest a funding breakdown of 50:50 between the State and the local authorities. That would make it much more accessible and easy to deliver. Instead of looking for one, we might look for one for every town.

I thank the Minister of State for coming here this morning. I look forward to working with his Department to try to deliver a much-needed and long-awaited swimming pool for the people for Dublin Fingal.