Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, is very welcome here today. He is taking the Commencement matter for Senator Lombard.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State is more than welcome. It is great to have an opportunity to have the Minister of State responsible for sport deal with this issue. The issue that I am asking the Minister of State to make a statement about is the national swimming strategy. The national swimming strategy was based on a document published and the title was about everyone in Ireland having the opportunity to swim. That strategy is a key document and proposal to make sure that everyone has the opportunity and the ability to swim. It is a key focus of the Government.

In 2022 to 2023, a sports action plan was put in place by the Minister of State’s predecessor, the Minister, Deputy Chambers. This was a significant document that outlined nearly 40 different elements that needed to be looked at, throughout the entire sporting sector, taking into consideration that we were recovering from Covid-19. It was about trying to make sure that we can promote swimming and that we have the ability and the infrastructure to ensure that everybody has the opportunity to get this skill for life, which is so important. Swimming is the second most popular participation sport in Ireland. Personal exercise is the only one ahead and with women, it is the number one sport. In the case of people with disabilities, it also is the number one activity.

As I said, it is a key skill for life and has major benefits around physical health, fitness, well-being and mental health. These things are all really important. The Minister of State had the opportunity to be in my part of the world a few weeks ago and he knows what we have. We have a wonderful coastline and beautiful scenery but access to swimming pools is the key issue. It was discussed in a meeting in Kinsale we both attended recently. We need to have the infrastructure required to ensure that parents can get lessons. We have a significant issue in making sure that parents have the opportunity to get lessons for their kids. There is a frustration, to say the least, that it is a lottery system and I will give an example. When it comes to Dunmanway, the swimming pool is owned by Cork County Council. When the news trickles out that they are taking on more people for swimming lessons, the phones clog up and they are filled within 25 minutes of the proposal being sent out. This is because of the great need that is in the community and there is a significant need there. We all have been on a waiting list for some time regarding that issue. This is about trying to make sure that we have the appropriate infrastructure to get these swimming lessons in place. There is no swimming pool in Bandon, the biggest town in west Cork. That is an amazing statistic. I do not understand how, why or where. We need to make sure that towns like that had the opportunity to get the infrastructure required.

The last point I will make is that we have a lovely coastline. More needs to be done about trying to promote sea swimming in particular and sea swimming lessons. I am speaking about what is happening in Oysterhaven down by Kinsale. Imelda Lynch runs an amazing course there at the moment, where people are getting into the water and these are young people, older and everyone in between. We need to do more to promote that side of the house so people have the opportunity to get in to the sea. It is about access to the infrastructure and the lessons and coming back to my core point on the national swimming strategy. Where is it, what can we do and how can we make sure that it is suitable to make certain that the majority of society have the opportunity to learn to swim.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Lombard agus na Seanadóirí uilig as ucht an deis seo a thabhairt dom labhairt le Seanadóirí faoin straitéis snámha náisiúnta.

As was said, swimming is our second most popular participation sport and has the potential to be truly inclusive for all in society. It engages the young and old alike, allows for full participation, including those with physical, mental or sensory considerations, and provides options for diverse communities and minority groups to participate. The National Sports Policy 2018-2027 and the Sports Action Plan 2021-2023 commit to the development of a national swimming strategy. Swimming is also prioritised in the current programme for Government in recognition of its role.

A working group was established in 2022 and tasked with establishing and developing the first national swimming strategy. It included representatives from the relevant national governing bodies and organisations. Extensive stakeholder and public engagement has allowed for a wide range of viewpoints in shaping the strategy. More than 5,800 submissions were received during the public consultation process, which is testament to the popularity of the sport and the critical role it can play in our physical health and mental well-being. Work on the strategy was recently completed. I am pleased to inform the House that the new strategy was approved by the Government yesterday. I intend to publish it in the coming weeks.

The strategy sets out a vision to provide everyone in the country with an opportunity to swim. It covers both indoor and outdoor swimming and takes account of all ages and abilities. It includes an action plan containing more than 50 actions across five thematic strands. People with disabilities and those who are marginalised or disadvantaged face barriers to participating in swimming. The strategy seeks to identify and address those barriers and encourage more inclusion and diversity, thus increasing levels of participation among those cohorts. Actions in the strategy include developing resources to help stakeholders to improve the culture of inclusion and increasing access for people with disabilities.

With regard to infrastructure and facilities, the public consultation suggests that existing swimming pool stock is insufficient and an analysis of current provision is proposed to identify gaps. The traditional single-purpose facilities model needs to be reviewed and reimagined to incorporate modern innovations such as above-ground and pop-up pools, as well as shared multipurpose facilities. Energy conservation, in addition to environmental and climate action considerations, will be central to future facilities development.

Evidence suggests that early childhood is the best time to learn how to swim, which in turn can increase the levels of lifelong participation. The strategy, therefore, tries to support additional opportunities for young people to access lessons; ensure best use of pool times for lessons and coaching; address challenges in recruiting and retaining swimming instructors; and further embed the provision of aquatics and water safety as components of school curriculums.

Outdoor or open water swimming has experienced a surge in popularity over the past number of years. Safety was a key concern raised by open water swimmers in the public consultation process, therefore, enhancing the dissemination of information to facilitate informed choices as to when and where people swim is key to encouraging greater participation. Other actions in the strategy in respect of open water swimming include the development of suitable facilities for changing and showering, enabling equal access, improved waste and recycling facilities, and a stakeholder forum.

The life journey for swimming will differ between participants who swim for recreation and those who follow a more competitive path. Aquatic clubs have a critical role to play in ensuring continued participation and providing a pathway that allows for the nurturing and development of potential high performers. Actions in the strategy include supports to grow participation throughout the life cycle, grow club membership numbers, develop vibrant competition structures, and strengthen relationships between facility owners and operators and swimming clubs.

The strategy will identify and develop targets and outputs that will help measure the successful delivery or otherwise of the tasks involved in the action plan and will inform future iterations and developments around swimming. The strategy is intended to be a live document that will respond to challenges and opportunities as they present over the life cycle of its duration. I thank the members of the working group tasked with the strategy’s development. The result is a truly collaborative strategic vision that will strengthen and support the sustainable growth and development of swimming in Ireland in future years.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I was not aware that the strategy was approved by the Government yesterday. I thank the Minister of State for bringing that information to the House. It is very important that we have the publication of this document-----

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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It is not published yet. It was approved yesterday.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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It is very important that once it is published we have the opportunity for the Minister of State to come to the House. He might give us some time to discuss this very important strategy. It is very important that everyone be given the opportunity and ability to swim. Lessons are also very important.

The Minister of State referred to the issue of swimming pool stock being insufficient. That is very obvious. The real key in that regard is to have a capital project to make sure that local authorities or private entities can build the swimming pools that are required. That will involve something from the Department in respect of sports capital or another mechanism that I assume it will examine. The Minister of State might also give his views on the issue of pop-up pools, which was brought forward by Swim Ireland back in the day. I totally understand I am putting him on the spot. I appreciate that, but it is highly significant that there has been such significant movement in a very short space of time on this. What are his thoughts on what funding is required and what the nature of pop-up pools could be? It might be beneficial to the House and the general public to hear that.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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When I was appointed Minister of State for sport, I was deeply conscious of the number of actions that needed to be done as part of the programme for Government. This is one very important action. I have made sure that it has happened. These things take time but it has to happen.

Swimming pools also take time to build. When I arrived at the Department, I saw a budget line of €3 million for a swimming pool fund. It may have been more. That budget was granted nearly 20 years ago. It has not been done for various reasons, one of which is local authorities are not prioritising it. If I were to give a simple answer as to why there is no swimming pool in Bandon, for example, it is because Cork County Council decided it is not a priority. Someone said it was not going to do one there. We have changed sports capital to allow for swimming pool renovations. It is not the most attractive thing politically to give money for the stuff you do not see at the back, but it is essential to keep swimming pools open and up to date.

We have the large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. I am sure there are some swimming pool applications as part of that. There were previously, but some of the major projects have not been developed by the local authorities that applied for the funding. There have been significant multimillions in funding, including in County Galway where there was a major swimming pool plan, but it has not happened. Someone will have to take responsibility for that. We give the money. We have awarded lots of money and we want to do more of that. I certainly hope that some of the swimming projects in the current LSSIF come through. We want to fund swimming facilities. We acknowledge that there are gaps. There is a lot of work to do. Local authorities will have to take responsibility, as they used to. They come knocking on our doors looking for funding and when we give it, they should spend it.

Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State and Senator Lombard.