Seanad debates
Tuesday, 10 December 2002
Adjournment Matters. - Swimming Pool Projects.
Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State. I do not want to labour the point about this swimming pool project but Castlebar is a progressive town of approximately 12,000 people. It was recently announced that it was to be a hub town, which we welcome.
The existing swimming pool was installed in the late 1970s when some would say it was outdated, never mind today. While we appreciate that much has been done around Castlebar, it was once said Knock Airport was built on a wing and a prayer. Castlebar swimming pool is trying to survive on a wing and a prayer at present. This is the second time I have raised the issue on the Adjournment.
In the early 1990s a new design was prepared to upgrade the existing swimming pool which some saw fit to change to the provision of a new pool. To this end new plans were drawn up in the mid to late 1990s which we understand have been with the Department for a number of years. I seek information on the current situation as the existing swimming pool is operating on a wing and a prayer. There is a very high level of maintenance involved, the cost of which is covered by Castlebar Town Council and Mayo County Council. We have been told by those running the pool that its structure could give way at any stage.
Castlebar has a good swimming club, members of which use the pool extensively. It is a matter of great concern to the swimmers and others in Castlebar that approval is given for work to proceed on the building of the new pool at the earliest possible stage. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply.
Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to outline the current position in relation to the Castlebar swimming pool application under the swimming pool programme administered by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. The aim of the swimming pool programme is to assist local authorities in the development of swimming pools. However, the types of public swimming pools provided and accepted in the 1970s and 1980s are no longer acceptable. This is evident by the improvement in the quality of the facilities now being provided and proposed by local authorities.
Under the local authority swimming pool programme, there are four stages in a swimming pool project following an initial submission and approval of a feasibility study. These, in order of progress, are: preliminary report stage; contract documents stage; tender stage; and construction stage. The Department's technical advisers, the Office of Public Works, evaluate each stage and local authorities cannot proceed to the next stage of a project unless prior approval issues from the Department. Grant aid is allocated only when tenders have been received for the project and it is capped at the time of allocation.
Under the swimming pool programme, grants of up to a maximum of €3.8 million are available towards the refurbishment of existing pools and the provision of new pools, subject in both cases to the grant total not exceeding 80% of the eligible cost of the project or, in the case of projects located in designated disadvantages areas, 90% of the eligible cost. Support is available towards the cost of the swimming pool, toddler pool, sauna and steam room.
As the Senator is aware, the contract documents submitted by Mayo County Council for the refurbishment of the existing Castlebar swimming pool were approved in February 2000, which allowed the county council to seek tenders for the project. However, the council advised the Department in July 2002 that it was its intention to relocate the proposed swimming pool to a site adjacent to the Lough Lannagh Holiday Village in Castlebar. The council has appointed consultants to prepare the preliminary report for this revised proposal which will be considered further on receipt of the documentation.
The Government has – to use the well-known phrase – put its money where its mouth is in support of sport. Our commitment to the development of sport and, in particular, the provision of sports and recreational facilities has been demonstrated in practical terms in all parts of the country. Significant increases have been provided in the funding for capital expenditure for this purpose. These increased provisions include an increase of over 800% in the overall budget for sport from €17.4 million in 1997 to €161.4 million in 2002; a fourfold increase in the annual provision for the swimming pool programme from €3.8 million in 1999 to a total of €57 million for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002; allocations under the national lottery funded sports capital programme increased from €7.6 million in 1998 to €78.6 million in 2002, an increase of over 900%; and an allocation of €7.55 million towards the cost of the development of Ireland's first ever 50 metre swimming pool in Limerick.
Swimming is a sport in which most can participate from a very early age throughout their entire lives. It is a most basic, natural and efficient way of taking exercise. The national survey of involvement in sport and physical activity showed that swimming was second only to walking as the most popular form of physical and recreational activity. It is estimated that around 425,000 participate in swimming throughout the country. Among leisure and recreational activities, it is generally considered to be one of the best and most enjoyable forms of physical exercise for developing and maintaining high levels of physical fitness.
It is vital that the promotion of sport and the development of facilities such as swimming pools are carried out in a strategic and focused way, which means establishing priorities, avoiding overlaps and ensuring full access to available facilities. Under the swimming pool programme, the development of pools for the future will be carried out in a structured and focused way, concentrating on areas of greatest need.