The taxpayer will not foot the bill for repairs to the National Aquatic Centre in west Dublin, according to Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue.
"This is an issue for the contractors and their insurers to resolve," he told the Dáil during questions on the cost and delay in repairs to the centre which has been closed since part of its roof was blown off in a storm in January.
Repair work on the centre began yesterday, and the Minister said "the best information available to me at this point is that the work will be completed within a six to eight-week period".
Fine Gael's sports spokesman Jimmy Deenihan asked who would pay for the repairs, and who would compensate Dublin Waterworld Ltd for the loss of about €100,000 a week while the centre was closed.
The Minister said he hoped Waterworld "would have had employment insurance cover in respect of its own staff", and he had no plans to compensate the company. "As far as I am concerned, the State and the taxpayer will not be responsible for restoring the National Aquatic Centre to its former state."
