Why are family leisure centres so expensive?

You spot the prices, we ask the questions

Bryan Evans, a reader from Dublin, says a rainy family holiday in Derry has made him realise that the Republic lacks good-value leisure facilities.

A visit to Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre cost £2.20 (about €3.30) an adult, with under-fives free, he says. "The pool there is perfect for kids up to seven or eight years old. There are several small slides, a wave machine and a gentle sloping beach area. It clearly is a good deal."

He compares this with the cost of bringing a family to the National Aquatic Centre, the Republic's only equivalent facility, which charges €12 for adults and €10 for children over three.

Evans accepts that the Derry centre is neither as elaborate nor as big as the NAC, but it is much cheaper: €6.60 for two adults and two four-year-olds, compared with €44 in Dublin.

"The NAC is seven times more expensive," Evans points out. "This underlines once again the lack of reasonably priced, decent-quality family leisure facilities in the Dublin area."

A spokesman for the National Aquatic Centre points out that it is "a far superior product to anything else within these shores". It cost €63 million to build, he says, and costs about €5 million a year to run.

"We receive no subsidy from the Government or other agency, and all costs must be passed on to the customer. Most facilities in the North are subsidised by local authorities. The only thing the NAC received from the Fingal authority was a rates and water bill of over €750,000.

"Whilst other pools in Dublin are massively subsidised by Dublin City Council the NAC must stand on its own two feet."

He says that, taking into account its costs, the NAC is exceptional value. "I suggest that customers visit before the year ends, because it is highly likely that prices will be increasing in the new year, to cover increased running costs.

"We may be living in a time of rip-off Ireland, but under no circumstances can the NAC be considered in these terms."

If you notice a significant price increase or discrepancy, let us know by e-mailing pricewatch@irish-times.ie