Ireland may have a 50-metre swimming pool by 2002, according to the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid. Such a pool would cost £15 million to build and £500,000 a year to run and the Government had to create a balance between that cost and the £60 million required to refurbish existing pools, he said.

The Minister said the Government had to consider the cost of the pool, the location and its connection with a developing high-performance sports programme.

Mr P.J. Sheehan (FG, Cork South-West) accused the Minister of "dilly-dallying with this yoke". Dr McDaid replied that Mr Sheehan might accuse him of dodging the issue but he had been in Government just 100 days and a 50-metre pool had been an issue for the last 10 years.

He told Mr Jack Wall (Lab, Kildare South) that he was prepared "to meet anybody who has a reasonable proposition to put" about the construction and location of such a pool.