Vol. 509 No. 2
54 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make moneys available to enable the reconstruction of the swimming pool in Cobh in County Cork; the amount of moneys involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19981/99]
I recently announced a £45 million grant aid package for local authority swimming pools to run over the next three years, commencing in 2000. During this period, a minimum of £10 million per annum will be available for existing swimming pools in serious need of refurbishment, with up to £5 million per annum available for the provision of new pools.
There are 12 proposals, including one in respect of Cobh, to build new swimming pools in my Department. Although up to £5 million per annum is being made available for the provision of new pools for the next three years, funding in 1999 and 2000 is already committed to new pools in Navan, Ennis and Wicklow, where work is in progress and to a pool in Dundalk which is at an advanced stage of planning. It will, therefore, be some time before I will be in a position to make an allocation in respect of new pools.
All proposals for new pools, including Cobh, will be examined in the context of the available financial resources and taking into account such issues as: the need for a swimming pool in an area; suitability of the proposed site; future viability of the project, particularly in relation to operational and maintenance issues; construction and operating standards of existing facilities; satisfactory financial plan; and the need to achieve an equitable geographical spread of funds.
