James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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812. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to re-open the local authority swimming pool programme with attention paid to areas with large populations without a pool, such as north County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5622/16]

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 may be 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 been, or are being, dealt with.  50 have been completed and the other 8 projects are at various stages of the Programme.

Last January the Department contacted local authorities seeking expressions of interest in a limited round of swimming pool allocations.  Those expressions of interest are now under consideration.