2026-05-07

6. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the way in which he plans to ensure that the implementation of the national swimming strategy addresses regional and demographic disparities in access to swimming facilities, particularly in areas experiencing rapid population growth and sustained unmet demand such as Fingal, where limited access to public swimming pools persists despite clear and growing community need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33670/26]

North County Dublin is one of the youngest and fastest growing areas in the country yet access to public swimming pools is extremely limited, particularly in north Fingal. Waiting lists for the limited swimming pools that are available are at 100%. Fingal County Council is planning to develop a swimming pool in Balbriggan. Will the Minister of State update us on whether any money will be made available from central government to fund that swimming pool?

I thank Deputy Boland for her question. I know she is very committed to the development of a swimming pool in Balbriggan. Further to a specific action in the 2024 national swimming strategy and enabled with funding from my own Department, Swim Ireland was commissioned to carry out an in-depth analysis of swimming pool provision across the country. This examined the condition and age of facilities and the provincial and county-level distribution of pools. The resultant swimming pool gap analysis report was subsequently published at the end of last year and is available on Swim Ireland's website. That gap analysis report, which our Department paid for, is now being considered by Department officials. It will form a key input to the future development of swimming pool facilities, enabling enhanced decision-making with regard to targeting investment more effectively. That is the objective. We are now assessing the report and how to take steps forward, ensuring we are making the best investment that will have the biggest impact. As things stand, the provision of swimming pools is ultimately a matter for the relevant local authorities. From what the Deputy has said before and today, I know there are plans to construct a new public swimming pool at Castlelands in Balbriggan. These plans are being progressed by Fingal County Council and the project has moved to preliminary design and planning stages. Fingal County Council made an application for grant funding in respect of the proposed new pool under the 2024 round of the Department's large-scale sports infrastructure fund. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of applications made under that round, it was not allocated funding. We continue to monitor capital availability under this round. Moving forward, we expect the large-scale sports infrastructure fund to reopen within the next couple of years. Applications to the fund must be made by a local authority or the national governing body of a sport. So far, we have seen €41 million invested in 12 swimming pool projects through the LSSIF.

I very much welcome Swim Ireland's report. The Minister of State will have seen from it that waiting lists in Fingal are at 100%. The nearest pool to Balbriggan is in Swords. Balbriggan is the youngest large town in the country. We need access to a swimming pool for Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and the surrounding villages of Naul and Garristown. The demand is there and we have the population. Fingal County Council has put an awful lot of work into the planning. I urge the Minister of State to look favourably on any application from Fingal County Council. It is an essential necessity for the area, which is rapidly growing. We are building houses in Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and the villages. We need access to appropriate sporting facilities.

I accept that. I know there is a particular challenge in the north Dublin area in relation to swimming pool availability. The gap analysis report certainly identifies that. We are considering that gap analysis report at the moment to get a sense of the scale of the challenge and to assess how those challenges can be matched by our current funding streams, including the community sports facilities fund and the large-scale sports infrastructure fund. The Government is focusing on this issue and wants to see it addressed. The capital envelope will obviously be important in determining what we can do. However, we have now for the first time identified the challenges and where they are most acute. In line with our national swimming strategy, we want to achieve our objective of making sure that people have the opportunity to participate in swimming regardless of where they live. We are considering how best to do that, following on from the publication of the gap analysis report.

I welcome the Minister of State's positive comments. I think I will be back here asking him follow-up questions. I would appreciate it if he would work with me on this issue.

I thank the Deputy for her ongoing advocacy and for identifying the challenges and the need for swimming pool facilities, which mean that everyone can avail of sports and that we do not have long waiting lists. I look forward to continuing to work and engage with her on this with a view to identifying opportunities to invest to make sure that projects such as the one in Fingal can be moved forward.