Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 May 1990

Vol. 398 No. 2

Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Sligo Sports Centre Project Funding.

Michael Finucane

Question:

18 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Education if, in view of the fact that £1 million from national lottery funds was regarded by her as the required funding for the provision of a 25 metre swimming pool in Sligo when announced by the Minister of State at her Department on 20 April, 1988 and, in view of the fact that work has not yet reached the design stage because of the delays caused by various Government Departments, she will increase the allocation in line with the increased costs in the meantime.

Edward Nealon

Question:

51 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that £1 million was allocated from national lottery funds in April, 1988 for a swimming pool in Sligo and that this was to be paid out at the rate of (a) £300,000 in 1988 (b) £400,000 in 1989 and (c) £300,000 in 1990; to the fact that no funds have been offered to date; and if, in view of the fact that prices have escalated in the meantime and that the money allocated to Sligo has been attracting substantial interest, she will increase the allocation to compensate for such factors.

Gerry Reynolds

Question:

52 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Education, in view of correspondence (details supplied) from the Minister of State at her Department to the then Minister for Finance in April 1988, the reason the commitment to provide (a) £300,000 in 1988 (b) £400,000 in 1989 and (c) £300,000 in 1990 for the provision of a regional sports centre in Sligo has not been honoured; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Dinny McGinley

Question:

59 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Education the reason for the delay in handing over the £1 million for a swimming pool in Sligo to Sligo Corporation in order to allow the authority to proceed with the work, in view of the fact that the Minister of State at her Department promised same in April, 1988 and that the money from national lottery funds would be paid out over three years starting with £300,000 in 1988.

Edward Nealon

Question:

72 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for Education the length of time which was required to carry out a feasibility study on aspects of cost effective management, design, income and expenditure on the proposed swimming pool in Sligo; and if she will make a statement on the findings of that study.

Mr. F. Fahey

I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 51, 52, 59 and 72 together.

Government approval for the Sligo swimming pool project, for which a fixed grant of £1 million was allocated, was granted on the basis that the centre would be financially viable in its operation. It was subsequently found necessary, following discussions and correspondence with Sligo Corporation and with the Departments of Finance and the Environment, to commission a feasibility study in July, 1989 on aspects of cost-effective management, design, income and expenditure of all the proposed regional sports centres, including Sligo. This study was completed in September, 1989.

The outcome of the study was that the swimming pool, as an extension to the existing sports centre in the town, could achieve viability in its operation with an efficient design to facilitate cost-effective management supported by marketing and financial expertise.

Sligo Corporation recently submitted revised proposals to my Department for the appointment of consultants to undertake the planning of the project. I have had discussions with Sligo Corporation in the past week on all aspects of the planning and construction of the swimming pool project. I hope to complete those discussions in the very near future. In accordance with normal practice for such projects, payment of the grant will be made by my Department in instalments on foot of architects' building certificates as work proceeds. The grant of £1 million in this case has been fixed by Government, accordingly. It is not open to me to increase the approved amount.

Mr. Nealon

As the Minister of State is aware, he himself made the announcement more than two years ago; it was an absolute, total and concrete announcement; no "ifs" and "buts" about it. Presumably the Government conducted studies before allocating a sum of £1 million. Why then was it necessary to conduct a special study one year later to ascertain whether the entire pool was viable?

Mr. F. Fahey

For the simple reason that there are swimming pool projects throughout the country utilising considerable amounts of money, many of which remain closed for many months of the year due to their inability to operate on a viable basis largely on account of bad planning and management. The objective of the regional sports centres programme is to overcome these problems. That has now been done. For example, on next Monday evening I will be addressing Sligo Corporation to make the final announcements on the actual development of the project. While it has taken much longer than any of us would have wished, I am quite satisfied that the time taken has been justified in the sense — in the case of the Sligo regional centre, as in the case of all others — we will have very fine facilities. Much thought has been given to and much research conducted overseas into modern techniques deployed in leisure and recreational facilities and in their management. As a result of all of this, in Sligo we will have a facility of which we will be proud. Second, we will have a facility which will be professionally managed and also will be utilised. As the Deputy will be aware, one of the major problems experienced vis-á-vis leisure and sports facilities here is their number that are totally under-utilised; in fact the numbers that could be described as white elephants.

Mr. Nealon

It is an extraordinary admission that the Government gave £1 million for a project they did not know would be viable or otherwise and then had to carry out a study afterwards. It is a disgraceful piece of political playacting. In view of the two years that have since expired and the fact that prices have escalated in the meantime, may I ask the Minister of State if he will make more than £1 million available now?

Mr. F. Fahey

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that, as a result of the work we have undertaken, we will build in Sligo a swimming pool for approximately £1 million. I might add that the last swimming pool of a similar type built in this country was completed over 12 months ago at a cost of £1.4 million. That arose as a direct result of the kind of work and research we have undertaken. We can achieve major cost savings in construction and, more importantly, we will have a pool that can be operated successfully.

I might add that a number of pools at present open at the beginning of the year, some close three months later when the local authority subsidy runs out, and remain closed for the remainder of the year. That is the kind of bad planning and management we have striven to overcome. I am glad to inform the House we have now succeeded in that objective and that we are now entering a new era of leisure and recreational provision and management.

Mr. Taylor

It could also be achieved if additional funding were allocated to local authorities.