Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 4 Dec 1997

Vol. 484 No. 2

Adjournment Debate. - Swimming Pool Projects.

Mr. Naughten

The Minister for Tourism and Sport, Deputy McDaid, announced the provision of a 50 metre pool for Ireland last week. Roscommon is surrounded by rivers and lakes yet there is no proper swimming pool in the county. Sports facilities generally are inadequate and there is no cinema in the county. People are travelling up to 60 miles to swim.

The Roscommon town pool has been closed for the past month due to lack of funding, although an application for funding is on the Minister's desk. The pool is in a very poor condition. There is mould on the walls, the sewage is washing back up through the pipes and the changing facilities are very poor. Funding is immediately needed. The local sub-aqua club, who do tremendous search and rescue work, use the pool for training. That work is important as the rivers Shannon and Suck run through Roscommon. They now have to train in Ballinasloe, over 30 miles away, because the pool is closed. This is a voluntary organisation which is poorly funded, and it is very costly for its members to travel to train.

Immediate funding is also required for a new pool to be built in Ballaghaderreen, which is ideally suited for tourism. There are several tourist attractions nearby and it is on the main road to Castlebar. However, there is no confidence in the north Roscommon area; there is not even a hotel in Ballaghaderreen. There is a large hinterland around the town, and it is equidistant from Boyle and Castlerea, the other major towns in the area. There are no facilities for this region of Roscommon, which borders Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim. Over 800 second level students attend the local school and there is a great need for a pool in the area.

It is a disgrace that a county surrounded by water does not have a swimming pool. It is also a disgrace that the Government is to fund a 50 metre pool without funding 25 metre pools adequately. The Minister should approve these applications urgently and ensure that this work is done as soon as possible.

Mr. Molloy

I appreciate the Deputy's interest in these projects and I thank him for this opportunity to set out the position. The 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. To qualify for a grant, a pool must be built to the Department's specification. The commitment of funds to a particular 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 swimming pool projects for the available funds must, of course, be taken into account.

The provision for the swimming pool programme in 1997 is £3.5 million and the provision for 1998 will be £4 million, which are up 75 per cent and 100 per cent respectively on the 1996 provision. The cost of swimming pool projects has risen considerably over the last few years because of the general increases in construction costs and the higher standard of facilities being provided. Commitments in respect of approved projects under construction, or on which construction is expected to commence shortly, amount to £7.5 million. In addition, further applications for funding, including the Roscommon and Ballaghaderreen proposals, amount to over £48 million.

In the case of the Roscommon pool, detailed preliminary proposals for refurbishment at an estimated cost of £1.5 million were approved, in principle, by the Department in August 1995. Roscommon County Council was allowed to proceed with the preparation of contract documents for the work involved. Copies of these documents were submitted to the Department in October 1996. Having regard to the high level of demand for swimming pool funding generally, it is not possible to indicate when funding will be available for the pool in Roscommon town. The new pool proposal for Ballaghaderreen is also estimated to cost £1.5 million. It will not be possible to simultaneously fund both projects and it will, therefore, be some considerable time before any commitment can be given to provide funding for the latter pool.