Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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476. To ask the Minister for Culture, Culture, Communications and Sport if full funding will be provided to complete a project (details supplied) which was applied for in 2024; when the project will move to tender stage; and the timeline for construction and completion. [65679/25]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Capital support for new swimming pools, and the refurbishment of existing pools, is provided by my Department through the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) which to date has allocated €28.9 million to 9 swimming pool projects.

In 2024, the LSSIF received an unprecedented demand for funding, amounting to €665 million from 96 applications. In parallel, funding towards design costs was allocated to the leisure centre project in Buncrana. This was done given the strategic importance of developing swimming pool infrastructure, in line with the National Swimming Strategy. The design team has been appointed and is currently working on the design element of the project, and the specific issues raised in the question will be considered once that work is complete. My officials remain in regular contact with the local authority which has responsibility for the further development of the project.

My current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF, 2018 and 2024, and this process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round. No decisions have yet been made regarding the next round of LSSIF.