Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 358: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position in regard to the refurbishment of the swimming pool at Athy, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23545/04]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The contract documents, submitted by Kildare County Council, for the refurbishment of the swimming pool in Athy are under consideration in my Department. Kildare County Council has also applied for grant aid for the replacement of the swimming pool in Naas and the contract documents for that project are also under consideration.

Under the local authority swimming pool programme, projects are considered on a case-by-case basis and consideration is given to such issues as to the number and geographical spread of projects within and between counties, whether the area is classified as disadvantaged, the viability of the project, particularly in relation to operational and maintenance issues, overall funding package for the project and technical details. The Department's annual Estimates provision for the programme also has a significant influence on the flow of projects through the approval process.