Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
717. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will examine a funding line for the construction and enhancement of swimming pools in local authority areas. [1254/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Sports Policy, which was published in 2018, provided for the establishment of a Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). The aim of the LSSIF is to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects where the Exchequer investment would be greater than the maximum amount available under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP).
Applications for improvements or renovations to existing, publicly accessible swimming pools were accepted under the most recent round of the SCEP which closed for applications on Friday 8 September 2023. The scope of that programme was extended to include, for the first time, consideration of applications for renovation works on local authority swimming pools.
Minister Martin and I also recently announced that a new round of the LSSIF will open for applications in the first half of 2024, with the dates, terms and conditions to be published on the Department’s website in due course. New swimming pool projects and refurbishment of existing swimming pools will be eligible to apply for funding under the new round of LSSIF subject to terms and conditions.
Both the National Sports Policy 2018-2027 and the Sports Action Plan 2021-2023 commit to the development of a National Swimming Strategy. A Working Group chaired by my Department was established in 2022 and tasked with developing the Strategy, which is based on a vision to ‘provide everyone in Ireland with an opportunity to swim’. The working group comprises representatives from relevant National Governing Bodies for sport and stakeholders, specifically Swim Ireland, Sport Ireland, Active Disability Ireland (formerly CARA), Ireland Active and the Local Authorities.
Extensive stakeholder and public engagement has allowed for a wide range of viewpoints to be considered in shaping this Strategy. Over 5,800 submissions were received during the public consultation process which is testament to the popularity of the sport and the critical role it can play in terms of our physical health and mental well-being. The National Swimming Strategy is due to be published in Quarter 1 of 2024.
