Swimming Pools
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-07
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Joanna Byrne (SF), Louth

An adequate number of swimming pools for modern Ireland will not be delivered by the already oversubscribed large-scale sport infrastructure fund or the community sports facilities fund. The local authority swimming pool programme was to provide capital grant aid to local authorities for new, refurbished and upgraded swimming pools and never really did. Now the shift for future funding has moved to the LSSIF. If this remains the approach, then all of these supposedly ambitious public pools in Louth and Meath, in Drogheda, Dundalk, Trim and Navan, will have to continue to pay high rates to private commercial operators. I do not see this being delivered through this scheme. It is something that needs to be considered. This is an ever-growing sport. Participation levels are increasing day by day, but, unfortunately and sadly, so are costs for parents and clubs, as is the need for facilities for those who are competing at a competitive level. We are just not meeting the mark in that regard.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-07/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-07