Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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236. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 389 of 21 March 2023, when she expects the National Swimming Strategy to be published; if she intends to open a capital grant process for the development of public swimming pools in towns such as Carrickmacross; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18633/23]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Work on the first National Swimming Strategy continues apace, with the working group tasked with its development holding its seventh meeting on 18April 2023. Whilst it is difficult to be precise about the exact timeframe for its completion, I hope to be in a position to publish the Strategy by the middle of 2023.

My Department continues to provide capital support for swimming pool projects. Funding was previously provided through the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme (LASPP) which allowed for the completion of 52 pools.

Capital support for new swimming pools is currently being provided through the Department’s Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). Eight of 33 projects awarded funding totalling €86.4 million under the most recent round of the LSSIF, are swimming pool projects.

The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) has heretofore not provided funding for swimming related projects however an important aspect of the National Swimming Strategy is the consideration of all funding models to support the development of swimming throughout the country.