Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Exactly. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Deputy Micheál Martin. I thank Senator O'Loughlin. I can see how important Kildare is to her. The Tánaiste asked me to offer his apologies on his behalf to the House. He welcomes the opportunity to respond to this matter and thanks the Senator for her question.

The swimming pool in the Defence Forces Training Centre, DFTC, in the Curragh is an important Defence Forces asset and, as she knows, has previously been offered to local schools and community groups for use. That is one of her specific questions. I am advised by the military authorities that the use of the swimming pool was restricted from March 2020 due to Covid 19, in line with Defence Forces and national protocols. The swimming pool facilities are being upgraded in a project managed directly by the Defence Forces under the devolved €11 million building programme. Earlier this year approval was given by the Department of Defence for these upgrade works, and the contract was awarded to Dunne Building Services Ltd. The Defence Forces, as direct managers of this project, have advised that the project will be completed in the coming weeks.

The work involves an improvement to the changing rooms, entrances, and internal fabric finishes. Overall, it will ensure that the DFTC swimming pool is fit for purpose and compliant with the relevant health and safety regulations and fire safety standards. The works will also ensure that the facility meets national child protection guidelines in order to ensure that it is suitable for civilian use. The reopening of the pool to other users is being considered in the context of current operational and training requirements and the necessary resources required to maintain the facility. In particular, in order to proceed with any plan to open the pool to other users, the refurbishment of the changing facilities will need to be completed. In addition, civilian lifeguards are now being recruited to bring the staffing levels up to the required levels. A competition for lifeguards was advertised on publicjobs.ie in May, and the latter stages of the competition are ongoing, with interviews planned for next week. Once sufficient resources are in place, and following completion of all outstanding refurbishments, it is hoped that the swimming pool will re-open in the third or fourth quarter of the year. The policy with regard to third party usage will be examined and implemented in line with these timelines.

I thank the Senator again for this question and would like to assure her that it is the intention of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to ensure that, subject to the operational needs of the Defence Forces, the swimming pool is offered, where possible, to local schools and community groups.