Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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601. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to provide capital funding for swimming pools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16015/16]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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602. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide funding for a swimming pool in Maynooth, County Kildare, as envisaged jointly with the National University of Ireland Maynooth and Kildare County Council or independently through the council; if the university or the council has responded to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16016/16]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 601 and 602 together.

The Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme (LASPP) provides for grant aid to local authorities towards the capital costs of new swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing pools.

I understand that my predessor met with the Deputy, Kildare County Council and other local representatives last July. Following that meeting Kildare County Council was to write to the Department but no correspondence was received.

In January of this year, my Department contacted local authorities and sought expressions of interest in a limited round of swimming pool allocations, subject to funding becoming available from other projects where those projects would not be progressed.  There were three expressions of interest received for new pools, two of which were valid and both in Dublin. The third was from Kildare County Council for a pool in Maynooth but this was invalid as the local authority do not have title to the proposed site.  Having assessed existing commitments and the funding available, it was considered prudent to progress one additional new pool project at this time.  Following consideration of the expressions of interest, and the two valid proposals for new pools, it was decided to include the proposal from South Dublin County Council (SDCC) for a new swimming pool in Lucan in the LASPP.

Details of the LASPP allocations under the special energy efficiency / enhanced disabled access initiatives from 2011 to 2015 inclusive can be found on the Department's website at the following link: .