Vol. 486 No. 3
191 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the recent speech made by the chairperson of the Irish Sports Council that an investment of up to £60 million will be needed in the coming years to replace the country's swimming pools; the steps, if any, he intends to take to address this need. [21429/97]
A sum of £4 million has been provided in my Department's Estimates for 1998 for the building of new pools and the refurbishment of existing pools. I expect this provision will be fully expended on projects under construction or likely to commence construction later in the year. Grant-aid commitments after 1998 in respect of these projects amount to £3.7 million.
In addition, there are 15 new pool and nine refurbishment proposals, at various stages of planning in my Department at present. They have a total estimated cost in excess of £44 million. Projects will be advanced as funds become available.
