asked the Minister for Education the date on which the national lottery grant for an indoor heated swimming pool in Sligo was sanctioned; from whom the official sanction for the grant was received; the amount of money sanctioned at that time; the amount of money sanctioned for payment in 1988, 1989 and in 1990; if she will give details of the timescale which was attached to the official sanction or which was written into any official terms regarding the allocation of the grant; the bodies or organisations in Sligo which were given the details of the grant; the terms surrounding it and the dates of such notifications; the reason for the delay in the payment of any part of the grant to date; the reason for the delay in the giving of authorisation to Sligo Corporation to commence the project; if she has satisfied herself that the project, for which she has received full details and a feasibility study, will now proceed and in its present form; if she has sought or intends to seek any modification or augmentation of the scheme; when payment of the grant will be made; the timescale which will be attached to the payment of £1 million from the national lottery surplus fund through her Department; if the sanction of £1 million of national lottery money is still effective and if it will be increased to compensate for the escalation in construction costs over the period since the grant was first sanctioned; if she will give immediate authorisation for the start of work on the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Sligo Swimming Pool Project.
In March 1988 the Government designated Sligo as the location for a regional sports centre and allocated a fixed grant of £1 million from national lottery funds for the provision of a 25 metre heated indoor swimming pool. Government approval was granted on the basis that the project be self-financing on current account when in operation.
In July 1988 my Department formally notified Sligo Corporation of the designation of Sligo as a regional sports centre and of the allocation of a maximum of £1 million for the swimming pool project including the terms and conditions relating to the grant sanction.
In the light of the Government's condition that the project be viable when in operation, it was found necessary to commission a feasibility study on aspects of cost-effective management, design, income and expenditure.
This study has now been completed and is under examination at present. I hope to be in contact shortly with Sligo Corporation regarding the detailed arrangements for the planning of the project.
It is not possible at this stage to say when building work would commence. Payment of the grant of £1 million would be made in instalments as planning and building work proceeds.