asked the Minister for Local Government when he intends to sanction the plans for the swimming pool at Carlow.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Carlow Swimming Pool.
31.
I am not in a position at present to say when a decision on the Carlow pool will be given.
Is the Minister aware that in 1964 a sum of over £5,000 was collected voluntarily in Carlow for this pool and that, in June, 1965, a circular came from his predecessor in the Department of Local Government suggesting a prototype pool? Is the Minister further aware that a prototype pool would not meet the position in Carlow as two pools are needed, due to the size of the population? Furthermore, is the Minister still not in a position to state when he will be able to sanction the original plans for this pool? It seems extraordinary that we have been waiting since 1964 for a decision from the Department of Local Government on this matter.
You may have to wait longer. There are approximately 30 such projects before the Department at present and a decision in regard to the sanctioning of them will have to be made in the light of the capital available for allocation to sanitary service projects generally.
No money.
Plenty. There is a lot more money available now than was ever available before but there is not sufficient to satisfy immediately all the demands made on it and I am quite certain there never will. It was not possible to do all these things during the two periods of office of a Coalition Government.
You can think of them now but that is all that is being done. Action is better than thoughts. They are not being paid.
Could the Minister state whether it will take six months, one year, two years or three years——
Fifteen years.
——or the amount of time, 15 years, ten years, until sanction is given by his Department for these plans?
An order of priority will have to be observed.
I realise that there will have to be an order of priority but the Minister should at least be in a position to state when sanction will be given by his Department.
He is not.
The Minister is the worst value we ever got for his salary.