Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 November 2025
339. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport following the recent announcement of €2 million to fund detailed designs and ongoing maintenance, if he will confirm that when the new Buncrana leisure centre project is ready to go to tender, his Department will provide the funding to build and complete this long-delayed important community amenity for the people of Inishowen, County Donegal. [66772/25]
View answerCapital support for new swimming pools, and the refurbishment of existing pools, is provided by my Department through the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) which to date has allocated €28.9 million to 9 swimming pool projects.
In 2024, the LSSIF received an unprecedented demand for funding, amounting to €665 million from 96 applications. In parallel, funding towards design costs was allocated to the leisure centre project in Buncrana. The design team has been appointed and is currently working on the design element of the project, and the specific issues raised in the question will be considered once that work is complete. My officials remain in regular contact with the local authority which has responsibility for the further development of the project.
My current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF, 2018 and 2024, and this process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round. No decisions have yet been made regarding the next round of LSSIF.
