Last night in referring to the number of unkept and run-down swimming pools throughout the country I explicitly drew attention to the fact that I was extremely disappointed that provision had not been made in the anti-drugs package announced by the Minister of State, Deputy Flood, to initiate the badly-needed local neighbourhood swimming pool in Jobstown in which there are social problems but no network of facilities or amenities for youth activity. There is a huge population of young people in the area. I sincerely hope the Government will revisit the issue in the near future.
Private Members' Business. - Swimming Pools: Motion (Resumed).
The following motion was moved by Deputy Allen on Tuesday, 27 April 1999:
That Dáil Éireann calls on the Government to immediately set up a capital programme for the refurbishment and upgrading of substandard swimming pools in operation throughout the country.
There was no recommendation from the local development group.
I do not know the detail but I sincerely hope the matter will be put right.
On the 50 metre pool in respect of which tenders are on the Minister's desk, having examined a possible half dozen locations, including universities, the Kitt Campbell survey was unequivocal. It recommended that Tallaght ought to be the location chosen. I sincerely hope the Minister will keep this in mind in making his decision. There is a separate proposal for a major leisure facility where the local authority, the chamber of commerce and the private sector would be partners. It involves additional facilities – money making opportunities – and deserves study also.
I thank Deputy Allen for tabling the motion. It should be accepted that sport in general and swimming in particular is not just for the well heeled and those who can afford to pay large fees. Public swimming pools have been the poor relation. They have been under-resourced, provided with the most basic facilities and the first to feel the cutbacks at local authority level. The less well-off are the most affected.
The reply to Deputy Allen's parliamentary question on 23 March 1999 indicates the size of the task ahead. I welcome the transfer of responsibility for this area to the Minister, Deputy McDaid, who is a man of action and somebody who will take the issue by the scruff of the neck and do something positive. He must, however, have the resources to do this. Given the size of the national lottery excess, there is no scarcity of resources. It is a matter of setting priorities.
The many upmarket facilities provided by the private sector in recent years are of no benefit to those who cannot afford the high annual fees charged. School children, young people on low wages, of which there are many, the unemployed and old age pensioners are bypassed by the private facilities. Publicly provided facilities should be of an equally high standard. There are enough divisions in society without institutionalising the haves and the have nots in swimming.
I refer to the application for grant aid for the public swimming pool in Naas. The funding sought amounts to £1.4 million and will allow the authorities to bring the pool up to modern standards. It is availed of every hour it can be open and school children make up a large part of its clientele. They deserve the best we can give and we can afford to provide it.
I refer to the position in the north Kildare towns of Clane, Kilcock, Leixlip, Maynooth and Celbridge. There is no public swimming pool in the area which has a young population of approximately 50,000 people. There are some private facilities which are either oversubscribed or too expensive. Swimming clubs have to bus their members, mostly children, to facilities outside the area. The cost is prohibitive.
Recently, my colleague in Leixlip, Councillor Colm Purcell, commissioned a feasibility study of the provision of a public swimming pool in the area and I congratulate him on his initiative. A site has been identified and costings made. The proposed 25 metre pool will serve the entire catchment area of 50,000 people and will cost in the region of £3.4 million. An application will be made to the Minister in the near future. I look forward to a favourable examination of this worthy and feasible project.
I thank Deputy Allen for tabling the motion and I am confident the Minister will find the resources to do the job he has identified.
I wish to share time with Deputies McGuinness, Brendan Smith, Noel Ahern, Callely and Doherty.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I welcome the opportunity of contributing to the debate. I compliment the Minister, Deputy McDaid, and the Minister of State, Deputy Flood, on their initiative in the area of sport and sport related activity. The resources provided under the youth services fund will be well spent. We do not spend half enough. The grants for the refurbishment of the Poppintree sports centre, the Ballymun recreation centre, the new sports centre at John Paul Park, Cabra, and the other sport related initiatives have been widely welcomed. I am glad Fianna Fáil Ministers are delivering on the appointment of a number of sport support workers to help clubs develop a wider range of activity, introduce more members and hold on to existing members.
Swimming is a life long sport which needs to be promoted. The local authority in Dublin took a leading role in the 1970s and 1980s in constructing pools in what are now called disadvantaged areas, although, in those days, we called them working class areas. These pools were built at a time when energy costs were lower and were mainly rectangular tanks or holes in the ground with a few extra facilities. They are now in great need of refurbishment and upgrading. An extensive programme of refurbishment has been submitted to the Minister's Department.
Plans in respect of Ballyfermot swimming pool were submitted some time ago. Further technical evaluations are taking place in relation to that pool. Deputy Callely, myself and others on the local authority earnestly hope refurbishment of that pool will start in the near future. Ballymun and Finglas pools in my constituency are also undergoing preparation for refurbishment. I hope Ballymun pool will be upgraded as part of Ballymun's regeneration. As previous speakers said, nothing should be too good for the people in those areas. We need not only to modernise these pools, but to extend them, provide fitness suites, coffee docks and relaxation areas to attract a broad range of customer. We must also insist the same modest entrance fee is charged because it would be the death knell of swimming and swimming related activities if the local authority had to increase charges further. Those of us on the local authority have resisted excessive entrance fee increases.
If I had my way, swimming would be on the primary school curriculum because it is the best way to build self-confidence and promote physical development. I know it is a costly sport and many schools fundraise for this purpose.
An initiative which could be repeated which was introduced by Deputy Fahey when he was Minister with responsibility for youth, was the provision of £0.5 million for the development of swimming and such activities in disadvantaged areas. It was a very successful initiative and the notion of sport for all is one we should promote.
I commend the motion. This is an opportune time to address issues such as upgrading, refurbishment and development of existing pools. I compliment the Government and the Minister on the focused way in which they are approaching the development of sport. It is the first time we have had a Minister of Cabinet rank dealing with sport. The assessment of need which is taking place at national and local authority levels will, I hope, lead to an extensive action plan. We now need a commitment to funding over a period. I know money cannot be thrown at everything but not enough money can be spent on this sport.
I support the motion and encourage the Government and the Minister to increase the fund already in place to refurbish pools. A number of pools were built some years ago at a low cost, but they have serviced communities very well. Their provision encouraged swimming. The time has come to refurbish them. Given the sites on which many are built, there is considerable room to improve the structures and facilities. The fund should be increased significantly to ensure every county benefits from this suggestion.
The pool in Kilkenny has serviced the local community, schools and, particularly, disabled people. It is in need of immediate refurbishment, extension and modernisation. The dressing rooms need to be brought up to current standards and a viewing area needs to be constructed as does a restaurant and activity centre.
The growth in the number of pools and gymnasiums in the private sector has been considerable and they are normally attached to hotels. The same type of service and access should be provided to schools, disabled people and the general public. To achieve that, we need to be pro-active in our local authorities and encourage them to put forward plans which will encompass the current use as well as the possible use of pools because a growing number of people cannot access these low cost pools given the restrictions in pool size.
Money needs to be spent on a pool in Carlow town. We should join the local community in providing a service in the public sector. I encourage the Minister to look also at the provision of new pools. Perhaps this could be done in partnership with the private sector if suitable sites are made available to it by the local authority.
I am glad of the opportunity to make a short contribution on this important motion. The Minister outlined last night that the Government has a programme for the refurbishment of existing pools and the provision of new pools. The Government's commitment to the development of sport and recreation and of new facilities is evident when one considers that £39 million is being spent on sport this year. During the last year of the rainbow coalition, £13 million was spent on sport. I welcome the Government's and the Minister's commitment to the development of extra facilities. Some £50 million has been committed to a capital expenditure programme for the next three years. That represents a three fold increase on what the previous Government committed to the development of facilities.
I am glad the programme the Minister has in place includes the upgrading of Monaghan pool. He has also made funding available for the development of a new pool facility in Bailieborough. As the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will know, an energetic committee there put much effort into that. The Minister, in making an allocation along with other public agencies, has helped the efforts of the local community.
In 1993 the then Minister for the Environment, Deputy Michael Smith, approved a new state of the art swimming pool for Cavan town. At that time, he allocated well in excess of £2 million towards its development. That pool also included the additional facilities of a children's pool, sauna, gymnasium and crèche. Great credit is due to the local committee which raised the necessary local contribution. The committee, under the chairmanship of Councillor Pat Conaty, put in much hard work. The local public representatives and voluntary organisation worked hand in hand to ensure the pool was provided. We are grateful to Deputy Michael Smith, in his capacity as Minister at that time, for giving speedy approval for the pool and for providing the necessary funding so that we could have a modern facility.
This Government's commitment to sport and recreation is reflected well in its decision to establish the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation. For the first time, the interest of sports-people, professional and amateur, is represented at Cabinet level very ably and with great foresight by the Minister, Deputy McDaid.
We are all well aware of the importance of sport in terms of promoting fitness and wellbeing. It is essential to create a truly healthy and vibrant society. It also promotes a positive image of our country to the world as our professional athletes are truly our ambassadors at international level. We all feel a sense of pride when we see our flag raised and our anthem played at an international event.
Sport is a necessary part of the growth of the individual and is as important as formal education in its own way. Sport boosts self-confidence and self-reliance and instils a sense of personal achievement and pride at what has been gained by effort and endurance. Young people achieve a sense of how good it feels to be fit and in good health. They not only earn respect for the hard knocks the sport often throws at them through inevitable failures and defeats or occasional injuries, they also learn the importance of team spirit and that co-operation and the pooling of talent brings the best results.
Sport is also a very effective weapon in the fight against drug abuse as it offers a clear and attractive alternative to the misery and suffering of dependence on artificial stimulants. Sport and recreation policy must embrace all members of the community. It is easy to forget that sport and fitness facilities must be accessible to the dis abled. For that reason I commend the Minister and the Government on their successful efforts to secure the Special Olympics for Ireland. I wish all involved every success. We are all grateful for the sacrifices made by the many professional and amateur sports people who bring immense honour to our country. They are true ambassadors.
I want to refer briefly to the sports capital development programme. The Minister mentioned that disadvantaged areas, in particular, would be targeted for assistance. Disadvantaged areas do not merely exist in urban centres, there are many disadvantaged areas in rural Ireland and people in clubs and parishes throughout Ireland make enormous efforts to ensure facilities are provided to allow young people to participate in sport and recreation. I appeal to the Minister to ensure the applications in his Department from small and lesser populated areas receive particular attention.
We are all aware that it requires great effort on the part of what is usually a small number of people to keep a football or athletics club going. It costs a lot of money to develop facilities appropriate to today's standards. I hope the Minister will secure additional funding in the years ahead to ensure sporting organisations receive the necessary financial assistance to upgrade, extend and improve their existing facilities. It is very difficult to raise funding on a sustained basis in a small rural community. Investment in facilities in rural parishes and small towns and villages will pay handsome dividends.
I welcome the opportunity of contributing to this debate. At the outset, I acknowledge the benefits I anticipate will accrue from the youth services facility fund. I acknowledge the funds allocated in my constituency to the Donnycarney Community Forum for the upgrading of the parochial hall, to groups in Kilmore west and other groups such as the Ardlea youth club. We look forward with interest to developments there. I am sure the organisations involved will succeed in ensuring youth participation in sporting activities rather than undesirable, anti-social ones.
Huge benefits accrue to communities in which swimming pools are situated. We are all aware of the high costs associated with the running of pools. The capital outlay for building and refurbishment is enormous. I was particularly pleased that Fianna Fáil recognised and endorsed the value of sport and recreation in its 1997 election manifesto and proceeded with the establishment for the first time of a Cabinet position, a Minister with responsibility for sport and recreation.
I congratulate the Minister and his officials on their successful achievements in the Department's infancy in pulling together their areas of responsibility, developing and formulating policy and encouraging increased participation in the promotion and development of sport and recreation. I am aware of the Minister's objectives and goals and his success in obtaining Cabinet approval for expenditure of £39 million in 1999. The swimming pool programme is now directly funded by the Exchequer with up to 80 per cent in capital grants being provided to approved new pools and up to 100 per cent in refurbishment grants. I welcome the available grant aid of up to 80 per cent of the cost of modest ancillary facilities such as saunas, steam rooms and so on. From a practical point of view, market demands require the establishment of such facilities in conjunction with swimming pools.
I wish to touch on two constituency matters. I pay tribute to the Vincentians at St. Paul's College, Sybil Hill, Raheny, for their provision over the past 24 years of a tremendous swimming pool facility on the college campus for the pupils and the wider community. The Vincentians are anxious to refurbish the pool. I was happy to attend a recent round table meeting with the St. Paul's College authorities – Fr. Meade and the bursar, Eilish Hayes, and Frank Murray and John Ryan from Dublin Corporation. The corporation clearly recognises the benefits of the St. Paul's pool and is anxious that the necessary refurbishment work is carried out. I put the Minister on notice that a very worthy application for refurbishment of the pool will shortly be submitted to him for consideration. My constituency colleagues and I will vigorously pursue a favourable funding decision.
I wish to salute Philip Smith of Westwood for his vision and determination in regard to his new leisure development in Fairview Park, Fairview, Dublin 3. The development will include a 50 metre pool. Mr. Smith is one of the tender applicants for the 50 metre international standard pool. I hope he will be successful in his bid. He showed his commitment to provide a 50 metre pool in advance of the Government tender being invited and identified a suitable site for the purpose. The Fairview site is ideally located near the M50 between the sea and the airport. Hopefully, the impending High Court hearing next month on the challenge of the disqualified tender applicant will be adjudicated on speedily. Philip Smith can and will deliver the 50 metre pool in time for the millennium.
I congratulate the Minister on the initiatives he has taken in the area of sport and recreational activities. He has acknowledged for the first time that sport and recreational activity is a central feature of a new and modern Ireland and its people. More particularly, he has provided a funding allocation for the next few years which will ensure that the widest possible opportunities will be available to people. He has linked those provisions into areas of disadvantage and has acknowledged the importance of investing money to ensure facilities are available for young people in Dublin and elsewhere, particularly those who are victims and prospective victims of serious drug activity. The Minister is to be complimented for recognising the need which exists in these areas.
The Minister stated that approximately 425,000 people are involved in swimming which is now the largest sporting activity in Ireland aside from walking. I would venture to say that golf comes a close third. All these sports contribute to the development of young people and others and to recreational opportunities for the elderly. It was suggested that perhaps swimming should form part of the leaving certificate syllabus. First aid should be part of swimming instruction. Years ago first aid was an essential element in the development of young men and women in primary schools. It is important that public swimming areas have the type of instruction available to them which would include first aid. Too many people are lost in a variety of circumstances where first aid is not available.
Swimming pools cost a great deal of money and public pools in particular, which are competing with private leisure centres and centres of public recreational activity associated with hotels, etc., are often loss makers.
School transport should be available to bring and encourage children to travel to pools which normally they might not be able to visit, particularly in rural areas where considerable distances are involved and perhaps the Minister for Education and Science and the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation will get their officials together to examine whether this is possible.
I recognise that the Minister has given approval to Roscommon County Council to seek tenders for its pool. The council must decide whether to build a new pool or refurbish the old one. I thank the Minister for his approval as it is the first time any serious acknowledgement has been given by a Minister to the situation pertaining in Roscommon where the pool is closed due to its failure to reach the necessary standards as a result of a number of difficulties which emerged over the years. Initially, it was a low cost pool.
It is hard to disagree with the motion. Years ago there were very few swimming pools in Dublin and then a raft of them were provided at the same time about 20 or 25 years ago. Many of these are now in bad order and need much money spent on them. I did not realise but am glad that the swimming pool fund has been transferred from the Department of the Environment and Local Government to the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation. Over the years that fund has been too small. Local authorities, certainly in the Dublin area, find it very hard to tap into it and much time is used in processing and getting funds from it. I can see the fund has a future now that it has been transferred to the proper Department.
Last night the Minister outlined the funding he received for sport and I congratulate him on it. It is good that we have a Minister focusing directly on sport. The figures have increased tremendously in recent years. However, further increases are necessary as we are losing the battle. I view money spent on sport as an invest ment in preventative medicine. Yet I am constantly attacked by constituents who complain about the £6 million or £7 million given to Croke Park per year for three years, saying that if that funding had been given to Health in addition to the £3,500 million the Department already receives, their granny would get a bed or their mother would get the hospital visit. We should push stronger the line that money spent on sport is an investment in preventative medicine and that it is good value for society.
I was delighted by the Minister's announcement last weekend concerning a new indoor sports facility at Santry Stadium which will be in my new constituency. I understand it includes a running track, but I presume most running tracks are circular and I do not know what the Minister's plans are for the area in the middle. I hope many other facilities, not necessarily a swimming pool, are provided. I accept that the project is at the feasibility study stage, but I know the Minister achieves what he sets his eyes on. I look forward to the new complex being built and hope it caters for many sports. Unfortunately, given the weather we have, outdoor training is not very appropriate for many sports, including athletics, in particular sprinting, and an indoor facility is necessary.
I and the country are fortunate, and perhaps Opposition Deputies are envious, that the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance have such an interest in sport. Their religious homes are more inclined to be Croke Park and the Curragh than Croagh Patrick and Lough Derg.
I have listened with interest to the various points made by Deputies both last night and tonight and there is general agreement that a number of the local authority pools, particularly those built in the 1960s and 1970s, need a substantial amount of State investment to bring them up to an acceptable standard.
As outlined last night by my colleague, Minister of State, Deputy Chris Flood, customer expectation of the standard of sport and leisure facilities on offer is currently very high. Local authority pools must compete with private facilities which are being built throughout the country and must provide additional facilities over and above the basic pool if they are to be attractive and commercially viable. Applications for new pools that my Department has received from local authorities in recent years recognise this and the standard and range of facilities provided have improved significantly.
A total of £16 million in grant-aid has been allocated under the swimming pool programme in respect of three new pools and refurbishment works at a further 25 pools since 1988. The provision of £3 million in the swimming pool programme this year is fully committed to projects under construction or fully approved and on which work is expected to commence shortly. In addition, my Department has nearly £40 million worth of projects at various stages of planning which will be competing for funding in the future but on which no commitments as regards grant-aid have yet been made. Many of these projects have been referred to by Deputies last night and tonight. I have no doubt that all these projects are worthy of funding in their own right, but unfortunately there will always be limits on the funding available and difficult choices have had to be made.
I am committed to developing facilities in a strategic and focused way. This means establishing priorities, avoiding overlaps and ensuring full access to available facilities. I am determined that the ad hoc way funding was allocated in the past under the swimming pool programme will not continue and that commitments in the future will be based on specific requirements of particular areas. In future the development of pools will be done in a planned and structured way, concentrating on areas of greatest need.
We all recognise that substantial amounts of State funding need to be invested in local authority pools. By the end of this Government's term of office, I am determined that this serious problem will have been addressed.
I call Deputy Coveney. I understand the Deputy wishes to share time with Deputies Hayes, Browne, Ring, Deenihan and Kenny.
Mr. Coveney
That is correct. I compliment Deputy Allen on bringing this motion before the House. I am glad he has focused the House on a very worthy need throughout the country with so many swimming pools in need of attention.
I will focus on the importance of having a proper swimming facility available for every citizen. Every young person as part of his or her education should learn to swim to a reasonable standard. This is essential from a recreational point of view, but more importantly from a safety point of view. Every year we hear of adults or children who drown having fallen into water, be it Dublin's canals or Cork Harbour. A percentage of these deaths could be avoided if the unfortunate individuals involved were able to swim and save themselves. A previous speaker talked about prevention being better than cure, something with which I agree.
Learning to swim is difficult at the best of times, particularly if one does not start at a young age. Therefore, people need conditions which will make learning how to stay above the surface of the water as painless and as least frightening as possible. People cannot learn how to swim in the sea in Ireland because it is too cold and a person's muscles freeze up if they stay in it for too long. A swimming pool is the only place to master the water initially.
If we as policy makers want to encourage people to swim, we have a responsibility to provide them with adequate facilities and we are not doing this at present. Public swimming pools, most of which were built in the early or mid-1970s, are in dire need of refurbishment. If evidence is needed of this, one need only look at the Minister's desk which has applications totalling £20 million for public swimming pool refurbishment. This figure will continue to grow. Ireland is now a young, progressive and forward looking country in terms of business, sport and recreation. Swimming is the healthiest sport in which a person can be involved. It is the only sport which exercises every muscle in the body at the same time. A healthy body normally leads to a healthy mind and that is the type of person we want.
The reason swimming pools received so little attention in recent years is that many private pools and leisure clubs have been built. This is a good thing, but just because there are more pools and leisure facilities does not mean everyone has access to them. Most schools, clubs and young people cannot afford the £600 to £700 or sometimes £900 to £1,000 in annual subscription fees for these private leisure centres. Therefore, the basic need is not being addressed unless public pools are adequately funded. That will cost a great deal of money and some has already been spent in this area. A major part of the problem is that so many pools were built at the same time. Some 48 indoor public pools were built between 1966 and 1974, 32 by local authorities, so they are all due to be repaired at the same time. It is just as well our economy is booming at present and that we are not in a slump. Otherwise, not many people would be swimming in public pools in five to six years' time. Heating systems are breaking down, pools are leaking through cracked tiles and sealant and there is a general cleanliness problem in many public pools, changing rooms and pool areas. This is leading to a spread of infection and fungus, such as verruca. This is hardly the sort of environment which will encourage more young people to use swimming pools.
Many clubs rely on public swimming pool facilities, such as water polo, scuba diving training, canoeing, aqua aerobics and swimming clubs. These sports are not affordable to a large section of the public if public swimming pools are not accessible to them. The ability to go swimming has the potential to become another classic example of social exclusion. If a person can afford to join a private leisure club, he or she can swim and relax in pristine conditions. If not, he or she will swim in substandard conditions, if they bother to swim at all. That is unacceptable. We should look to countries such as Canada where public pool facilities linked with leisure centres outshine many of the private facilities here. I urge the Minister to look outside the country for examples. There are many in Europe and especially in the United States and Canada.
Mr. Hayes
I agree with the motion and congratulate the Government. The speech of the Minister of State, Deputy Flood, was a useful contribution and I welcome the Minister's comments. We should not play party politics with the provision of additional sporting facilities. As anyone who visits other European Union countries readily recognises, there is an infrastructural deficit in Ireland when it comes to the provision of sporting facilities. Nowhere is that more obvious than with swimming pools. We now have an opportunity, because of the revenue in the economy, to provide world class facilities for people who want to swim. Policy in this regard is by and large on the correct footing and it is right the House does not divide on the motion. There is a consensus on both sides of the House on it and I compliment the Minister on that.
There has been a mushrooming of private health clubs and facilities which are available to people who have £800 or £1,000 in their back pocket to join those clubs for a year. That is not an opportunity afforded to everyone. I represent a constituency where, in the greater Tallaght area, there is one swimming pool for 80,000 people. I do not know of any other place where that would be countenanced and accepted. Some 30 per cent of the population is under 18 years. There is significant deprivation in some of the estates and facilities are needed for young people. Otherwise they will become involved in all kinds of dubious activities. We now have the opportunity to rectify that situation and I hope that will be done in the years ahead.
I welcome the feasibility study to which the Minister of State, Deputy Flood, acceded and for which he announced a grant of £5,000. It will take place in west Tallaght and will examine the feasibility of a swimming pool facility for the area, which has a massive youth population, few public services in which children can engage positively and no pool. I hope the feasibility study will lead to greater things.
There are too many examples of white elephants where public money has been spent on facilities and, because of changes in the population base, fewer people use the facilities over time. We are all familiar with the community centre white elephants throughout the country. Are we getting value for money from those facilities? Swimming is a popular sport and has a major beneficial effect on people's health, so it should be encouraged. I hope that will be done.
I recently asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government how much money the four Dublin local authorities have in their capital accounts. The latest figures available, for 1998, showed they had in excess of £60 million. Why can they not build their own swimming pools if they so choose? It is nonsense that every decision must be approved by the Department of Finance or some other Department. We must move away from that. Where local authorities fortuitously have a substantial amount of resources in their capital accounts, they should be allowed utilise them and build the type of projects to which we refer without seeking approval from the Department of Finance or going cap in hand to the Minister. If they have the money, they should be allowed build the facilities.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): I congratulate Deputy Allen for tabling the motion and congratulate the Minister on accepting it. I acknowledge that, even if he had substantially more money than he has, he would still not be able to deal with all the applications he has to hand.
The Minister mentioned 23 towns which have submitted applications for swimming pools or for which applications have been approved. I fail to see any mention of Graiguecullen swimming pool which has long been an important place, although it is not a public pool. There was a 33 metre open air swimming pool in Carlow. However, given that Carlow experienced the same kind of summer as the rest of Ireland – it lasted approximately one week – it ran at a loss. Two priests who were fed up with the debate to get a swimming pool for the town, including argument on where it would be located and how it would be built, proceeded to have one built. The cost to the State was £100,000 – a big gesture. It is a magnificent swimming pool, despite what the Minister may be told officially. Fifty schools a week are using it. It is so successful, especially with those learning to swim, that it cannot accommodate swimmers. Fr. Fingleton has arranged in the extension for the insertion of a submersible floor so that invalids can use it.
When the Minister's backbench colleague thanks a previous Fianna Fáil Minister for allocating £2 million to his constituency towards the provision of a swimming pool and when I read that £1.5 million has been allocated in the form of grants for pools around the country, I place this against the £100,000 we received for our successful pool. In Dickensian English I ask the Minister to please give us more. We in Carlow are entitled to our share. A sum of £100,000 is not an adequate contribution towards building a swimming pool. One county, which is the home of a Minister, has submitted applications for three pools. On the law of averages they will be high on the points system.
The Carlow pool is not within the remit of the local authority.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): I accept that technically it does not fall within the remit of the local authority. However, it is doing the work the local authority could not do. Should Carlow be penalised because the local authority failed to provide a pool worthy of the name? Those concerned took over the running of the pool and it is so successful it is overcrowded with the result that it is difficult to swim there unless one goes early in the morning. It is open from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. daily. Is there any other pool in the country run mainly on a voluntary basis that is open those hours? The management has the required 20 per cent funding to extend the facility as it wishes.
Carlow deserves more than £100,000 for the funding of a swimming pool. It is an inland county. Seaside towns can get £1.5 million or £2 million to build pools, despite the fact that people can swim in the sea.
The previous Government gave that money to them.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): Grants were given to seaside towns that may need swimming pools but inland counties need them far more. I appeal to the Minister's sense of generosity to give us a little more.
Deputy Browne said he would raise the floor; I will raise the roof. I congratulate the former Minister, my constituency colleague Deputy Kenny. Deputy Browne referred to inland and seaside towns not having swimming pools. Westport is surrounded by water, yet three years ago we had no water, swimming pools or anything else. I was delighted to solve the water problem. It never stopped raining over two bad summers, indeed it has not stopped raining since the last general election. We had no proper water supply until the former Minister, Deputy Kenny, allocated a sum of £2.25 million.
I have been in public life for 20 years. In 1979 I was elected to the urban council. At every election since then, whether it be Dáil, European or local election, the question raised in Westport was why a town its size cannot have a swimming pool, unlike Ballina, Castlebar and other towns. I am delighted to say that next month I hope the Minister will open the new pool. In doing so I hope he will recognise the work Deputy Kenny and I undertook and that the opening ceremony will not be taken over by the Fianna Fáil brigade who did nothing for us but talked when they were in Government.
Westport is the most successful of all the seaside resorts.
That is because of the work of many Ministers. A sum of £600,000 was collected from door to door over a number of weeks in the form of ticket sales, etc., by the local community. The people wanted a swimming pool. I congratulate the then chairman of the council, Councillor Patrick Durcan, who initiated the scheme – I was a member of the council – and Pierce O'Malley, President of the Chamber of Commerce, and those who collected the money for the town. Please God the facility will be opened in June.
Three years ago there was no leisure centre in the town. We were in Government for two and a half years, which is a very short time. Yet by next June there will be three leisure centres in the town at the Hotel Westport, the Castlecourt Hotel and Woods Hotel on the Quay Road. It shows what a Government can do within a short time. It is a good job we were not in office for 20 years.
The people are waiting for our return to office.
That kind of facility is necessary for the town. It is needed for a tourist town. When thousands of people visit an area in the summer months and the weather is bad there must be a facility they can use. I invite my colleagues here tonight, you, Sir, and the people in the Visitors' Gallery to visit Westport and see the facilities on offer. We have wonderful hotels and leisure centres. The new leisure centre will be open next month. If they visit Westport they will have a good time.
What about the rest of County Mayo?
The rest of County Mayo is also nice. When people visit Westport they will spread their wings throughout the county. We will send them to the Céide fields, Achill Island and Bellmullet. We are the Killarney of the west, which is no thanks to this Government but to the previous Government.
For 20 years nothing happened in Westport. I was delighted to do something about that. When the Minster visits I can assure him of a special welcome. We will give him a good day in the town.
I congratulate Deputy Allen for moving this motion. It affords us a rare opportunity to debate sport in the House. It also presents the Minster with the opportunity to outline what he is doing for sport, which I acknowledge is considerable.
The ability to swim is one of the most important skills that any individual can acquire. From a cardiovascular point of view it is highly recommended by all sports specialists, the medical profession and so on. It is also one of the best and safest aerobic exercises and can be participated in by all age groups, from infancy to late adulthood. It is important, therefore, that all our children should have the opportunity to learn how to swim. That is not happening at present.
I do not know if figures are available, but the percentage of those who can swim properly is low. That is a serious indictment of the education system. If one is able to swim one can take part in a range of water sports and explore the resources along the country's vast coastline. However, there are not enough facilities to ensure that school children can obtain the necessary lessons. That is why so many people who travel abroad cannot swim, why so many get into difficulty and why there are so many fatalities.
We are the laughing stock of the world's swimming fraternity by virtue of the fact that we do not have a 50 metre swimming pool. I suggest the Minister removes that embarrassment as soon as he can.
Some of the Deputy's colleagues disagree with that.
I am expressing my view. It is important for the country to have a 50 meter pool as soon as possible. The Minister should look at the hygiene standards in public pools. One of the reasons people are not using public pools and are paying large amounts of money to avail of private facilities is the standard of hygiene. When people pick up a verruca, athlete's foot, etc., from pools and shower facilities which are not cleaned on a regular basis, they are not inclined to go back to them. The Minister should carry out a survey of all public and, indeed, private facilities, to ensure they meet the highest standards of hygiene.
It is ironic that a number of professional fishermen are unable to swim and do not take life-jackets with them. They are tempting fate.
It is superstition.
The Minister should carry out a national survey to determine the spatial distribution of existing swimming pools and their proximity to the general population, if he has not already done so. It is important to ensure when he is planning for the future that he does not have two or three swimming pools in close proximity to one another and that all the people will get an opportunity to avail of a swimming pool and learn how to swim.
As a previous speaker mentioned, some swimming pools are running on subventions – and even then they are running at a loss – but when you look at the benefit to the community and the reduction in the overall health bill, even running a swimming pool at a loss is worth it and is better than no swimming pool.
As there is only a £3 million provision this year for the swimming pool programme and it will cost about £20 million to refurbish existing pools, never mind building new pools, I suggest the Minister seek support from the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance to boost a new programme of pool building throughout the country.
I listened with interest to the Minister's short, succinct and factual contribution. He has an enormous opportunity to make a name for himself with the McDaid principles in terms of sport and the provision of facilities for thousands of children and adults.
With the housing boom and the way the economy is moving, in the next ten years there will be a considerable number of applications for private swimming pools and housing. I can see the trend emerging already in many parts of the country. We are talking about local authority pools which are open to the public, the vast majority of whom will never become members of private swimming clubs or pools.
The Minister, in his opening remarks, stated that he had two extremely amiable colleagues at the Cabinet table, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance. I have a photograph in my office in Castlebar of the 1979 Superstars competition, which I had the privilege of winning, in which the then Deputy Bertie Ahern is climbing over a barrier in the steeplechase, on his way to victory in the political stakes in later years. He has the opportunity to help the Minister to achieve what I want.
Castlebar swimming pool, for instance, lodged an application for refurbishment at an estimated cost of £1.5 million in 1996. An official of the Department called in February to look at it. The revised cost is just over £2 million. The pool is obviously not included on the list this year because there is only £3 million in the refurbishment programme. The boiler unit of that swimming pool is dilapidated and is literally under serious pressure. Something needs to be done about it. I had thought it might be possible to use the pool in conjunction with the international holiday village, which the Taoiseach opened this year and with which I was involved during my party's term in Government, as an added facility for those who will use that centre for small conferences and for those who will stay in the superior hostel accommodation and houses there.
Let us look at the general economy. This year the Minister for Finance was able to give away £1 billion in his budget and reduce the national debt by £1 billion and the figures indicate that again there will be a substantial surplus at the end of the current year. In the next few weeks the people will participate in the flotation of Telecom Éireann shares which will bring in at least £1 billion over and above anything else the Exchequer has received. Therefore, if the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance are willing to contribute towards the provision of facilities across the board, then there is an ideal opportunity for the Minister to re-present his case for £50 million of that £1 billion to provide the facilities in local authority pools which have been assessed, costed, updated and redesigned, a fact of which the Department will be aware. Fifty million pounds is a small fraction of £1 billion. If the Minister has the ear of the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance, then this would be the crowning glory of the McDaid Ministry. The Government is heading for a general election, which will probably be next year, so the Minister should do it before then.
I welcome the Minister. It is great to see him here. He is a gentleman. They say that if we say something nice, we might get something in return.
He does not listen to plámás.
Sometimes it works. I need a swimming pool in Cobh. The pool was closed in 1991 and there is no pool in east Cork. The people have collected almost £400,000, the UDC has provided a site and they are waiting for Government approval to build a pool. Deputy Deenihan spoke of the geographic distribution of pools. This is one area, the southern part of east Cork, which is crying out for a pool. If the Minister gets a chance to look at this I would be grateful.
Last night I visited the website of the Department and I was expecting something very exciting. I was expecting a list of proposals and speeches. I do not want to say anything too critical because I do not want to upset the Minister – if I do, he might not give me the pool in Cobh – but I invite him to look at the number of announcements he has made over the past 12 months which are listed on the website. References to April and May 1998 were the only ones mentioned – at least that is all I could find. It could do with an upgrade. I was expecting a great deal of information and proposals on swimming but there was nothing. I was disappointed to say the least.
In addition, from the point of view of attracting tourists the website of the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation should be exciting, easy to access and user friendly. In my view, it is not. Perhaps the Minister would take it on himself to visit it and look at it. He should put himself in the position of a tourist and see what he thinks of it. Certainly I learned nothing from it with regard to Government policy on swimming pools and I was disappointed. Having said that, maybe the Minister will still consider providing a swimming pool for Cobh. I do not want to upset him by saying too much which is derogatory or unhelpful. The Minister will have my full support if he fights hard at the Cabinet table for money for swimming. All Members would support him if he built swimming pools throughout the country as part of a millennium project. He should get the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance to back him. It is an important issue with many health benefits. I ask the Minister to roll up his sleeves and have a go.
I am pleased to have the opportunity to make a short contribution. I will confine my remarks to the midlands, with particular reference to Counties Offaly and Laois. Special and urgent investment is needed for inland swimming pools in areas where citizens are denied access to swimming facilities. Most midland pools, as the Minister's records will show, are kept open with the help of cake sales and flag days while spanking new pools have been built in coastal towns in recent years as a result of huge capital investment and lotto largesse.
There is a need for a five year programme of action on midland pools only. The people of Counties Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath are at least one hour from the coast by car and many do not have access to a local pool. Hotels have opened in many midland towns with leisure centres and pool facilities but these are of no use to the general public as membership costs up to £1,000 per annum. The Minister had the pleasure of opening one in my home town, Portlaoise, recently. It is a fine complex, but, unfortunately, it will only serve a small number of people because of the cost of membership.
The town pool is located 300 yards from that fine facility and it is in a woeful state. It is run on a shoestring and is likely to close soon because of cutbacks by FÁS. The number of workers there has been reduced from three to one and the pool will not be maintained as a result. That is the problem we have in the midlands.
The Minister and other colleagues have referred to applications to build swimming pools on restaurant premises. The Minister should get swimming pools in order first before he deals with restaurants. We do not want a restaurant with our pool, we just want a pool with water in it so that the people of Laois and Offaly can learn how to swim and engage in swimming because of the benefits that accrue from it.
I never mentioned restaurants.
For too long the people of the midlands have accepted second best. It is only right and proper that a special programme be introduced in terms of investment and maintenance in order to ensure that the few pools in Laois and Offaly can be kept open and improved.
I expect that the Deputy will find the five year programme acceptable.
I congratulate Deputy Allen for raising this issue, which is important. I want to speak from the point of view of young people. They enjoy nothing more than swimming and nothing is as pleasurable as looking at a group of children paddling or swimming and enjoying themselves. It is an important leisure activity for young people and there must be investment in our youth locally. Not all young people can swim and Deputy Allen raised the need for young people to be engaged in leisure activities, especially in deprived areas where they are often attracted to negative life opportunities.
The policy in the UK is that everybody aged eight years and over should learn how to swim. That policy should be adopted here. In 1998 60 people died accidentally as a result of drowning. The number of young people who committed suicide is not known. However, in 1997, 121 people under 24 years of age committed suicide, of which 17 were under 17. One of the key recommendations in the report of the national task force on suicide which was published in January 1998 was that "all children be taught to swim as part of their general education with a view to enhancing health and preventing accidental drowning as well as suicide". The task force outlined to the Government that every child should be taught to swim as a preventative measure. The majority of people in rural areas do not have the opportunity to learn how to swim. This recommendation has big implications for the Minister's attempts to develop swimming facilities throughout the country. The Government is not interested in children and in ensuring that they have life opportunities and this is a key area which could be developed for them.
I tabled a parliamentary question two weeks ago about the swimming pool in Longford and the local authority is in contact with the Department about this. Deputy Flanagan's remarks on the midlands are valid and he made his case well. County Longford is the furthest county from the coast and it does not have the same natural facilities as seaside counties. Longford is the county town and the swimming pool has been there since the 1960s. There are many schools in the area – Ballymahon, Lanesboro and Granard – and it is only right and proper that the swimming pool is located there.
Handicapped people also use the pool and it is another good reason for a modern facility in Longford. I will be pleased if the Minister includes the town in his five year plan and puts it high on his list. I wish him well.
I thank my colleagues for giving me time to make the case for the provision of additional swimming facilities in Kilkenny city. The Minister may be aware that 600 children use the swimming pool there daily. It is overused and there was a breakdown at the facility today because of the level of activity in it. A total of 60 organisations use it. I appreciate the Minister has been inundated with lottery applications under the capital facilities programme. However, I would be grateful if he would keep in mind the provision of a new swimming pool in Kilkenny when he makes capital allocations later this year.
Question put and agreed to.