1651. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in view of the fact that Lucan, County Dublin, is one of the biggest population growth areas in the State, that there is a lack of a public swimming pool to support a population of over 50,000 people and that grant assistance is an integral part of the financing of elements of South Dublin County Council’s water leisure strategy, and that the council could not of its own resources provide a swimming pool for the area, if he will commit to reopening the local authority swimming pool grant scheme in order to provide a swimming pool facility for Lucan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31997/15]

Under the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme, grant aid to a maximum of €3.8 million is provided to local authorities towards the capital costs of new swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing pools. The current round of the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme was closed to new applicants on 31 July 2000.

My priority now is the completion of the projects in the existing Programme.

No decision has been taken on any new round of the Programme. If the Programme reopens, it would be open to each Local Authority, including South Dublin County Council, to submit an application under the terms that would apply at that time.