John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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670. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37495/18]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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In January of 2016, my Department contacted local authorities and sought expressions of interest in a limited round of swimming pool allocations under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme (LASPP). There were three expressions of interest received for new pools, two of which were valid and both in Dublin. Having assessed existing commitments and the funding available, it was decided to include the proposal from South Dublin County Council (SDCC) for a new swimming pool in Lucan in the LASPP.

My Department wrote to SDCC in April 2016 advising the Council to undertake the Preliminary Report stage (which includes the Feasibility Study, Appointment of Consultants for Preliminary Proposals and Design Brief). Documentation in this regard was received from SDCC in July 2016. Following examination by my Department's technical adviser and my officials, SDCC was given approval in October 2016 to appoint the recommended design team and proceed to the design brief. In April 2017, the detailed drawings were received by my Department and referred to my Department's technical advisor for consideration. Following clarification of some technical queries, my Department issued approval to the technical design element of the Preliminary Report on the 5th July 2017. This approval allowed the Council to have the detailed contract documents prepared and therefore allowed SDCC to proceed to the Part 8 planning process.

I have recently been informed that the contract documents were finalised by SDCC in August and advertised for tender on 9 August, with a closing date of 24 September. In this regard, my officials are currently liaising with the Council.