Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 June 2018
491. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if funding will be provided as requested by a company (details supplied) in County Limerick to address health and safety issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26335/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy officials recently wrote to Limerick City and County Council stating that the Department is not in a position to provide funding for the works referred to at this time. As the Deputy may be aware, the pool in question received funding of €3,809,214 under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme with the final (retention) payment made in March 2009. As is the norm for grants under the Swimming Pool Programme, the original grant was conditional on the Council maintaining the facility.
In terms of any possible future funding, the recently published National Development Plan (NDP) contains a commitment to establish a new “Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund” (LSSIF) with at least €100m available over the coming years. It is intended that the Fund will primarily be targeted at larger new projects, including swimming pools, where the proposed Government contribution exceeds the amount currently available for individual projects under the Sports Capital Programme. The draft terms and conditions of the new scheme are expected to be finalised shortly and an announcement in relation to when applications will be accepted will be made once this work is complete. At this stage, it is envisaged that the fund will be initially focused on the National Governing Bodies of Sport and Local Authorities and the possibility of accepting applications for larger scale refurbishment work is being considered. Accordingly, it will be a matter for Limerick City and County Council to consider any possible suitable projects for application once the new scheme opens later this year.
