Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism when a project will proceed [details supplied]; the stage the project is at; the remaining stages in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20421/05]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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Under the local authority swimming pool programme administered by my Department, there are four principal stages in the grants process. These are feasibility study, preliminary report, contract documents and tender approval followed by construction. Specific ministerial approval is required before a project can move from one stage to the next. The original proposal submitted to the Department by North Tipperary County Council and Roscrea Community and Tourism Leisure Centre was to build a swimming pool on a site in the grounds of the former Convent of the Sacred Heart in Roscrea. However, in February of this year and on the basis of advice from their consultants, the council submitted a new feasibility study and preliminary report proposing that the project should instead proceed on lands owned by the council on the old Dublin Road. The proposal is under consideration in my Department.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if additional resources will be allocated for a project [details supplied] to take account of inflation over the four years during which the project has been under consideration with his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20422/05]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The local authority swimming pool programme administered by my Department is designed to make grant aid available to local authorities for the building or refurbishment of public swimming pools. In either case, the programme provides for a maximum grant level of 80% of eligible costs or 90% in the case of disadvantaged areas subject to a maximum of €3.8 million. There are no plans at present to increase this grant amount.

In 2000, Thurles Town Council proposed to refurbish the existing swimming pool in the town. The preliminary report for the proposal was approved in October 2000. However, in August 2003 Thurles Town Council submitted a revised preliminary report proposing the construction of a replacement pool on the existing site on the basis that refurbishment of the existing pool would not then have been economically viable. The revised preliminary report was approved in July 2004, which allowed Thurles Town Council to prepare contract documents for the project. I approved the contract documents in May 2005. Approval allowed the town council to invite tenders for the work proposed. It is the responsibility of Thurles Town Council to meet any balance of costs between the grant and the tender price for the project. Thurles Town Council has not advised my Department of any difficulty in meeting this responsibility.