Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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496. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will open a programme of funding for swimming pools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2855/16]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme 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. The current round of the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme was closed to new applicants on 31 July 2000. Since 2000, 58 projects have or are being dealt with under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme of which 50 have been completed and the other 8 projects are at various stages of the Programme. I wish to commence the process of opening a new limited round of swimming pool allocations. The Department has recently contacted local authorities seeking expressions of interest in such an allocation, with 5 February as the closing date for reply.