Vol. 535 No. 1
61 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he has received a report from the Office of Public Works on the proposals for a new swimming pool in Ballinasloe, County Galway; if approval and costings have been finalised; the next stages to be advanced; if he will give a starting date for this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11890/01]
In December last, Ballinasloe UDC submitted a preliminary report to the Department on a replacement for the Ballinasloe pool. A technical assessment in connection with this preliminary report was received from the Office of Public Works in late February 2001. Additional documentation in relation to costings and other technical elements was then requested from Ballinasloe UDC. These have since been received and examined by our technical advisors, and officials in my Department expect to be in contact with the council once the Department has completed its considerations.
There are four stages in a swimming pool project – preliminary report stage, the stage at which the Ballinasloe proposal is currently, contract document stage, tender stage and construction stage. The Department's technical advisers evaluate each stage and local authorities cannot proceed to the next stage of a project, unless prior approval issues from this Department. As a number of other stages must be completed before final approval is given to commence construction, it is not possible to be precise at this stage about a commencement date for the project.
