On Thursday, 26 November 1981 I tabled a question to the Minister for Transport regarding Rosslare Strand erosion but unfortunately he was not present. My question asked when the Minister would instruct CIE either to carry out the necessary works or provide the necessary finance to Wexford County Council for essential protection works to alleviate coast erosion works at Rosslare Strand. The Minister for Fisheries and Forestry answered on behalf of the Minister for Transport and I quote an extract from his reply:
Despite protracted discussions with the parties concerned the question of responsibility for the cost of transporting the beach material to Rosslare Strand has not yet been resolved. I am arranging that an early meeting will be held by my Department with all the interests concerned with a view to resolving this problem and, pending a decision on the question of responsibility for the costs involved, that CIE will continue to provide and transport the necessary beach material to Rosslare Strand.
Wexford County Council have had major involvement with Rosslare Strand for a number of years. It is true that the building of a second berthage at Rosslare Harbour has been responsible for a further deterioration of coast protection work on the strand.
I would remind the Minister that when the National Coalition were in power the then Minister could have gone ahead with the building of a second berthage at Rosslare but, as is happening with the present administration, the then Government funked their responsibility. It was not until Fianna Fáil came to power after the National Coalition that the then Minister with responsibility for this matter, Deputy Faulkner, authorised that the work be done. It was a welcome development for the entire south east. The main reason for sanctioning this work was that Rosslare was the one port in Ireland where development work was increasing each year. There is no doubt that the work that was carried out proved a major success, certainly in regard to tourism.
I understand that in granting the licence to CIE and in giving them the necessary finance it was understood that CIE would provide the necessary materials for coastal protection at Rosslare Strand. This has not happened. Three years have passed but Rosslare Strand is eroding rapidly. I have with me a copy of the Wallingford Report that was commissioned to examine the feasibility of a second berthage at Rosslare Harbour. The report was an investigation into the effects of harbour improvements on beach movement and coastline changes. The following comments were made in the report:
The dumping of dredged material from Rosslare Harbour that took place on three occasions between 1964 and 1971 proved an effective form of beach replenishment building up the sand between the groynes, reducing the steepness of the beach slope and pushing the high water mark seaward...
The OPW have expressed the opinion that when their defences become increasingly more exposed to the waves as the sand is washed out of the groyne-compartments the woodwork will start to break up, and the position will get steadily worse so that the southern half of the Strand could soon lose material at an increasing rate unless some early beach replenishment can be carried out.
On page 10 of the report there is the following comment:
It would seem desirable to repeat this as soon as circumstances allow, in order to counter the normal beach "shortfall" of material.
The report also commented:
However, without such additional nourishment as was supplied in 1964-71 the material can only be removed from the existing beaches so that the present situation will deteriorate rapidly and the OPW sea defences will become progressively less effective so that the rate of erosion could build up again to the pre-1960 figure; releasing even more sand to enter Wexford Harbour and threatening the defence works at the Point itself. Any further destruction at Warren Lower townland could only add to the risk of floods at Wexford during periods of peak tidal levels.
A considerable amount of money has been spent by Wexford ratepayers on coastal protection works that were started in the early 1960s. These works are completely useless because the Minister has failed to tell CIE to provide the necessary materials, not only for the protection of Rosslare Strand but also Wexford town which is in danger of being flooded.
The Wallingford Report states:
In order to stabilise the situation on the beaches of Rosslare Bay some 27,000 m³/year of sand should be supplied; ideally to the whole length of the cliffs and the strand. However as the strand is the more important area economically and socially the preferred dumping zone would probably be off the Coastguard Station and if the sand could be placed on the beach directly this would be the most effective operation. If this was to be too expensive then consideration could be given to the use of split-bottom barges to try to place the sand as close as possible to the groyne-compartments.
The report also states:
It is recommended that beach nourishment of the Strand should continue and steps could also be taken to protect the South Bay cliffs west of Kilrane Halt.
This matter has been going on for three years and Wexford County Council have been pressing the Department for some time. It is important to highlight the situation of the ratepayers in Wexford. In 1963 the coast protection works were completed by the Office of Public Works and it fell to Wexford County Council to pay the bill. The maintenance cost in 1963 was £5,000 but the figures for the last five years are as follows: 1976 — £30,000; 1977 — £25,000; 1978 — £30,000; 1979 — £28,000; 1980 — £51,000; 1981 — £67,000. In that five-year period the ratepayers of Wexford have spent £231,000 on coast protection works.
Wexford County Council and the Office of Public Works are not able to cater for the present situation. A report by the county council engineer states that erosion at Rosslare Strand is proceeding at an alarming rate due to lack of nourishment and beach levels have been reduced by two to three feet in places. The cost of maintaining the present coast protection works is entirely a local charge and in the past few years there has been an increase of 123 per cent at a time when rate increases were limited to 32 per cent. The council are unable to meet the extra cost of beach nourishment because of rate restrictions and cannot provide the necessary material.
The joint policy document on the environment published by Fine Gael and Labour states that the national environment will be protected by a comprehensive plan which will ensure that economic development does not injure the environment. I would point out to the Minister that the environment in Rosslare Strand is being very severely affected.
On 27 November the Minister said that CIE would provide the necessary material and transport at Rosslare Strand. Wexford County Council had a meeting yesterday with representatives of CIE and CIE's chief civil engineer categorically denied that he knew anything about the reply the Minister gave regarding transport. Who is to pay for the transport from Rosslare Harbour to Rosslare Strand? The ratepayers cannot afford any more. Further erosion at Rosslare Strand will mean that the golf club will be divided in two and there is a danger of serious flooding in Wexford town. I want the Minister to guarantee that CIE will provide the necessary material amounting to 27,000 cubic metres of sand per annum. I ask the Minister to stand over the guarantee given in the reply on 27 November. CIE did not stand over it at the meeting yesterday. Wexford County Council have provided the infrastructure, the roads and services and CIE are not providing one penny. They are refusing to provide the necessary material to protect Rosslare Strand and Wexford town.
I want a guarantee from the Minister that not alone will CIE provide the material but they will provide it on Rosslare Strand where it is required so urgently and will continue to provide it not alone this year but for the foreseeable future. Because of the development of Rosslare Harbour it seems that we will have a continuation of the erosion of Rosslare Strand, therefore I want those guarantees tonight from the Minister.
