661. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will establish a dedicated, ring-fenced and multi-annual local authority swimming pool fund in Budget 2027, as the first phase of a ten-year national programme of investment in Ireland’s swimming and community leisure infrastructure. [65906/26]

Swim Ireland, the national governing body (NGB) for swimming, has very recently submitted a pre-Budget funding submission to my Department in which it has sought the establishment of a local authority swimming pool fund. Its specific request is for a €1 billion fund over 10 years.

I am committed to seeing progress made on the wide range of actions outlined in Ireland's first-ever National Swimming Strategy, published in 2024. Those actions come under five main headings, namely (a) Access, Inclusion and Disability (b) Infrastructure and Facilities (c) Education, Lessons and Coaching (d) Open Water Swimming, and (e) Pathways and Performance.

With regard to the specific pre-Budget request from Swim Ireland, my Department operates within clearly defined capital budgets out to 2030 under the National Development Plan. These budgets are largely assigned at this point which means that a standalone new fund for swimming infrastructure is not realistic at this point. However, the concept will be given due consideration by my Department when the 2031 - 2035 phase of the National Development Plan is under negotiation with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Sector Reform and Digitalisation.

In the interim, my Department's two main capital funding schemes, the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) and the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) can provide funding opportunities in support of swimming infrastructure. I expect that a 2026 round of the CSFF will be opened soon.