Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 January 2026
143. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the steps that Monaghan County Council should take to secure funding for a swimming pool in Carrickmacross; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4797/26]
View answerOne of the actions under the first-ever National Swimming Strategy, which was published in 2024, is the completion of an in-depth analysis of swimming pool provision within Ireland with particular reference to identifying gaps in provision and the environmental sustainability of facilities.
Swim Ireland, the National Governing Body for the sport, was tasked with this specific action with funding support from Sport Ireland. It published its Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report last month and the report is available on Swim Ireland's website at the following link: https://swimireland.ie/2025/12/09/swim-ireland-report-a-pool-within-reach-remains-a-distant-reality-amidst-critical-swimming-infrastructure-gaps/.
This in-depth analysis examined the condition and age of swimming facilities, community accessibility, the availability of swimming lessons, energy and sustainability practices, and the provincial and county-level distribution of pools across the island. The report is being examined by my Department and will be a key input to the future development of swimming pool facilities by enabling better decision-making with regard to targeting investment more effectively.
In this context, there are two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). In total over €1.5 million was allocated to swimming under the 2023 CSFF round and over €3.7 million in the last 10 years. Swimming may also have benefitted from allocations to multisport projects under the CSFF. Applications for the refurbishment of pools, pop-up pools, improvements of the energy efficiencies of pools as well as improvements to accessibility of pools can be made under the CSFF.
In line with previous rounds of the Fund, a review of the current funding round is being undertaken. Preparations are underway for a further round of the CSFF in 2026. It is anticipated that the next round will particularly target areas and sports that have been under-invested in over the years.
The aim of the LSSIF is to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, including the development of new swimming pools as well as the refurbishment of swimming pools. These would be projects where the Exchequer investment would be greater than the maximum amount available under the CSFF.
Applications for both schemes are subject to published guidelines and conditions of the scheme. Applications under LSSIF must be made by either a Local Authority or a National Governing Body of Sport. It is a matter for those organisations to prioritise their capital development requirements. To date, €297 million has been allocated under LSSIF, including €41.4 million for 12 swimming projects.
With regard to a future round of the LSSIF, I am committed to ensuring sustained investment in sports facilities to meet our ambitious goals for sports participation nationwide. The Programme for Government commits to maintaining sports funding to get more people participating in all levels of sport, particularly targeting cohorts in society where there is lower than average participation levels.
My current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF 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.
