Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 779: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the number of swimming pool projects which remain outstanding under the local authority swimming pool project; the estimated cost per pool in each year since the programme began, categorised by refurbishment and new builds in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38039/09]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy is below in Tabular format.

Under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme, which is administered by my Department, grant aid to a maximum of €3.8 million is provided to Local Authorities towards the capital costs of new swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing pools, subject in both cases to the total grant not exceeding 80% of the eligible cost of the project or, in the case of projects located in disadvantaged areas, 90% of the eligible cost. Proposals must comply with the standards set out in the Department's "Procedures for the Planning, Approval and Financing of Swimming Pools and Technical Guidelines."

Under the Guidelines there are four principal stages in a swimming pool project following the submission of a feasibility study. These, in order of progress, are: Preliminary Report; Contract Documents; Tender and Construction. Grant-aid is allocated only when tenders have been approved for the project and is capped at the time of allocation. The Department and its technical advisors, 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 of Arts, Sport & Tourism.

The policy since 2000 has been to give priority to the completion of the 57 projects within the current round. Of these 57 projects, 45 have been completed and open to the public, 2 are under construction or about to start construction and ten other projects are at various other stages.

Cumulative grant expenditure by the Department under the programme from 2000 to date this year is €139.15m and this grant aid has leveraged total investment of almost €400m in public swimming pool facilities. Grant aid of €12.4m has being provided in the Revised Estimates for 2009.