Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 25 Jun 1998

Vol. 493 No. 2

Adjournment Debate. - Swimming Pool Projects.

Mr. Naughten

The following is a headline from one of the national newspapers on Monday, 18 May: "Three Teenagers Feared Drowned off Sligo." The prediction, sadly, proved correct when the bodies of three young men were recovered from the sea. The three friends were non swimmers and got into difficulty while wading in the water off Strandhill in County Sligo.

The Taoiseach, on a visit to the tragic location, promised the Government would try to ensure there is never a repeat of this accident. Serious questions have been raised about water safety here but sadly it has taken a tragedy such as this to focus the minds of people.

The Sligo accident has cast a cloud over the standard of swimming education in the State. Of the four teenagers who got into difficulty, none could swim, let alone practice life-saving techniques. There is a public policy in the UK that everyone learns to swim from the age of eight. A similar co-ordinated policy is badly needed here but such a policy cannot be implemented without the provision of adequate facilities.

The three teenagers from Sligo lived on the border of County Roscommon, one of whom attended school in Ballaghaderreen. The same school has an application with the Minister's Department for the provision of a swimming pool. There is a large hinterland around the town and there is an equal distance from the towns of Castlerea and Boyle. More than 800 second level students attend the local school and there is a great need for a pool in the locality. The people of the town have raised more than £250,000 towards the provision of this pool but the Minister for the Environment and Local Government has failed to provide funding for it.

Two further applications are on the Minister's desk: namely the refurbishment of Castlerea and Roscommon town swimming pools. The only indoor swimming pool in the county, which is in Roscommon town, is in a deplorable condition. There is major concern that if funding is not provided immediately the pool will have to close for good at the end of the year due to the infrastructure being outdated and substandard. Each year the pool closes to the public for three months as funding for the running of it has been exhausted. Last November the pool closed in the middle of a swimming lesson course for children. How can this ensure there is never a repeat of the accident in Sligo, as stated by the Taoiseach?

The pool's list of defects include a roof constructed of asbestos, an air ventilation system which is inoperable, a water heating and filter system which should more appropriately be housed in the National Museum, and changing facilities which are substandard. The icing on the cake is that the water level is maintained by means of a direct flow tap as the pool is leaking. The local sub aqua club, which does a tremendous job in search and rescue in the county, use the pool for training. As the Minister is aware this organisation is vitally important to a county such as Roscommon which borders on the Rivers Suck and Shannon. However, when the pool is closed its members must travel to Ballinasloe pool which is more than 30 miles away. This is putting increased financial pressure on a voluntary organisation which is inadequately funded.

The third application on the Minister's desk is for the refurbishment of Castlerea swimming pool. This is an outdoor pool and the funding required is modest in the overall budget for swimming pools. The pool was erected by the local community, through their own persistence. They are now seeking a helping hand from the Government to carry out works, including the refurbishment of changing facilities.

The Minister must recognise the community spirit of the people of Castlerea by providing the required funds. It is a disgrace that a county surrounded by water does not have a proper swimming pool. It is a disgrace that the Government is to fund a 50-metre swimming pool without funding 25-metre pools adequately. The Minister must urgently approve these applications and ensure this work is done as soon as possible. I am aware the Minister has only recently assumed responsibility for swimming pools. I appeal to his sense of fair play to provide funds as soon as possible for County Roscommon. I acknowledge and thank the Minister for attending to hear my case.

Dr. McDaid

I thank Deputy Naughten for raising the issue and I extend my sympathies to the families and friends of the young people involved in the recent tragic accident in County Sligo.

Sport contributes in a unique way to the social and economic development of Ireland and it has a significant and enriching impact on our culture and identity. The Government has brought a new drive and momentum to the development of sport. A series of measures has been adopted to drive forward this development. Essential to the success of this approach is that all elements are developed in an integrated and unified manner.

In line with the Government's recognition of the value of sport and leisure to the physical and mental health of each individual, especially in the role they can play in fostering a sense of community identity, even in the most deprived areas, I have set a goal for my Department to formulate and oversee the implementation of policies for the promotion and development of sport and to encourage increased participation in sport and recreation, particularly by disadvantaged communities.

To achieve this goal I have set a number of key objectives: to develop a new policy framework for the promotion and development of sport and recreation; to promote a more strategic approach to the use of available resources for sport and recreation by a sector driven mainly by voluntary effort; to develop a new holistic system of supports for high performance by athletes; to help overcome the isolating effects of social exclusion in disadvantaged areas by developing appropriate sport and recreational strategies for those areas; and to encourage the promotion of standards of good conduct and fair play in sport.

As regards funding, I am pleased to say that I have been able to secure a doubling in Government funding for sport from £13 million in 1997 to £26 million this year. As the first Cabinet Minister with responsibility for sport, I am proud that this is the largest annual budget ever allocated by a Government for assisting development in sport.

The development of a quality infrastructure is crucial to the future of sport. In this context, the swimming pool programme, the administration of which recently transferred to my Department, is very important. Under this programme, which provides national lottery funding for swimming pools, my Department pays grants of up to 100 per cent of the approved cost of refurbishing existing pools and up to 80 per cent of the approved cost of new swimming pools, with the remainder of the cost being funded by local contribution. Applications for funding under the programme must be submitted via the local authority supporting the project.

To qualify for a grant, a pool must comply with the Department's procedures for the planning, approval and financing of swimming pools and technical guidelines. The commitment of funds to a project can only be considered when the project design has been approved and the local authority is in a position to accept a tender. The overall allocation for the swimming pool programme and the competing demands of other pool projects for the available funds must be taken into account.

Preliminary proposals for the provision of a new pool at Ballaghaderreen by the Ballaghaderreen Swimming Pool Committee were submitted through Roscommon County Council to the then Department of the Environment in July 1994.

The proposed pool is estimated to cost in the region of £1.5 million at 1994 prices. The local swimming pool committee raised £200,000 towards the project. At the same time, Roscommon County Council submitted preliminary proposals to the then Department of the Environment for major refurbishment works to the existing public pool in Roscommon town costing £1.5 million. In July 1995 the swimming pool committee was informed that, due to limited capital resources, the Department of the Environment would not be able to fund both projects simultaneously. Given that there was already an existing pool in need of refurbishment in Roscommon, priority was given to its proposed refurbishment.

Roscommon town swimming pool was constructed in the mid-1970s. As with many pools of a similar age, it is now in need of major refurbishment. Roscommon County Council proposes to completely refurbish the pool and provide additional ancillary facilities at an estimated cost of £1.5 million at 1994 prices.

Contract documents for Roscommon town pool were submitted to the Department of the Environment in October 1996. While these documents have been technically approved by the Department of the Environment and Local Government's technical advisers, because of existing commitments under the swimming pool programme it has not been possible to allow the council to proceed to the next stage of the project — the seeking of tenders — as this would require a definite funding commitment from the Department.

There is a provision of £4 million in my Department's Estimates for 1998 for the swimming pool programme. While this represents a substantial increase on the 1996 and 1997 provisions of £2 million and £3.5 million respectively, the 1998 provision is fully committed to approved projects under construction or on which construction is expected to commence shortly. These projects also give rise to commitments of some £6 million in 1999. In addition, the cost of swimming pool projects has risen considerably over the past few years because of general increases in construction costs and the higher standard of facilities provided. There are also a number of further applications for funding at various stages of planning which amount to over £48 million. I am not in a position to say when a firm financial commitment can be given to the funding of the proposed works at Roscommon pool.

There will always be limits on the funding available. Therefore, it is vital that the promotion of sport and the development of facilities is carried out in a strategic and focused way, which means establishing priorities, avoiding overlaps and ensuring full access to available facilities. There are public policies in the UK in the area of swimming which I would like to see implemented here. The administration of swimming pools has been treated in an ad hoc manner. On a certain 50 mile stretch of road, there are four swimming pools, while the Deputy's county and other areas have very few or none. Unfortunately, this is the situation which exists at the moment. I recognise the spirit in which the Deputy has raised the matter and the spirit of those involved in the area of swimming. If more funding becomes available, we will re-examine the proposal.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 30 June 1998.