Ahern ‘not happy’ with operator of Aquatic Centre

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern reluctantly rowed into the National Aquatic Centre fiasco yesterday when he expressed deep dissatisfaction with Dublin Waterworld, the company contracted to run the facility.

“The Government and I are not happy at all with the performance of the company,” he told the Dáil.

Campus and Stadium Ireland Development (CSID), the State body which owns the €62 million centre, leased it to Dublin Waterworld in 2003. The centre opened in April of that year.

But CSID is currently seeking through the courts to have Dublin Waterworld removed on a number of grounds, including its alleged failure to maintain the building and pay rent.

The latest controversy came to light this week, when it emerged the centre has been leaking millions of litres of water. It had only reopened in May after being closed for around five months due to storm damage to the roof.

Grilled about the matter by Fine Gael in the Dáil yesterday, Mr Ahern was initially reluctant to discuss it, saying it was before the courts. But he then conceded both his and the Government’s dissatisfaction on the matter. The company had done “a very good job” in Kerry, where it runs a similar operation, “but it has not done a good job in this case”, the Taoiseach said. “This is the reason CSID has brought the company to court. I support the action being taken.”

CSID is pursuing Dublin Waterworld on three separate fronts, all of which allegedly constitute breaches of the 30-year lease agreement. Firstly, CSID believes the company is liable to pay VAT of just over €10m on the granting of the lease.

Secondly, it believes Dublin Waterworld has failed to properly maintain the centre. Thirdly, CSID contends Dublin Waterworld has failed to pay rent or insurance or provide audited accounts.

Amid opposition criticism, Mr Ahern conceded the centre had been a “pet project” of his.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the centre was “an apt metaphor” for the Government: “massive costs to the public; a so-called state-of-the-art attraction that is all splash, with fake waves, the roof blown off and leaking like a sieve”.