Deputy P. Gallagher has been given permission to raise on the Adjournment of the House the decision by Roinn na Gaeltachta to withdraw from the Burtonport Harbour project. He has ten minutes.
Adjournment Debate. - Burtonport (Donegal) Harbour.
Ar an gcéad dul síos ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leatsa as ucht an deis a thabhairt dúinn chun díospóireacht ghearr a bheith againn maidir le dreidireacht Ché Ailt an Chorráin. Tugadh le fios dúinn cúpla uair nuair a bhíomar ag caint leis an Aire, an Teachta O'Toole go mbeadh 100 faoin gcéad de dheontas ag teacht ón Stát— 50 faoin gcéad ó Roinn na Gaeltachta agus 50 faoin gcéad ón Roinn Iascaigh agus Foraoiseachta le haghaidh an obair a dhéanamh. Tugadh le fios domsa san Teach seo, trín Aire Stáit, nach raibh Roinn na Gaeltachta sásta 50 faoin gcéad den airgead seo a chur ar fáil le haghaidh an ché sin, an cé is mó i nGaeltacht Dhún na nGall. Tugadh le fios dúinn ansin go mbeadh an Roinn Iascaigh agus Foraoiseachta sásta 35 faoin gcéad den deontas a chur ar fáil agus go mbeadh Comhairle Chontae Dhún na nGall 25 den deontas a chur ar fáil. Go dtí an lá atá inniu ann, a Cheann Comhairle, níor chuireadh in iúl do Chomhairle Chontae Dhún na nGall go mbeadh orthu 25 faoin gcéad den deontas sin a chur ar fáil. Sin an tsuim atá ag an Rialtas, sin an tsuim atá ag Aire na Gaeltachta agus ag an Aire Iascaigh agus Foraoiseachta i muintir na Gaeltachta agus i gCé Ailt an Chorráin.
I am pleased to have an opportunity to raise this most serious matter. I should like to refer briefly to the history of the Burtonport Harbour project. Late in 1980 the Fianna Fáil Government, Taoiseach and Minister for the Gaeltacht gave a commitment that Burtonport Harbour would be developed at a cost of £1 million. Plans were set in train and prepared for the dredging of the harbour. A Coalition Government then took office and Coalition Governments never have any interest in the west of Ireland. Fianna Fáil returned to power and when the Estimates were being prepared by the Minister for Finance, Deputy MacSharry, £1 million was included in the Estimates in November-December 1982 for this work. The present Government took office in November-December 1982. They started to prune the Estimates and it became obvious that people in the west would suffer when £1 million was pruned from the Department of Fisheries and the Department of the Gaeltacht.
On numerous occasions we met the Minister for the Gaeltacht who is also the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry. He gave us the distinct impression that we were high on the priority list and that we would get the 100 per cent State grant, 50 per cent from the Department of Fisheries and 50 per cent from the Department of the Gaeltacht. The Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy informed me that there would be a grant of 75 per cent from the Department of Fisheries and absolutely nothing from the Department of the Gaeltacht. I wonder what co-ordination is there between the Department of the Gaeltacht in Dublin and the Gaeltacht in Donegal.
On 28 March, Donegal County Council were told by an official of Roinn na Gaeltachta that they had plenty of money and would provide 50 per cent of the grant and that the hold-up was because there was no money coming from the Department of Fisheries and Forestry. That was the complete opposite to what we were being told in Dublin. Donegal County Council had never been informed that money would be required from them for the development of Burtonport Harbour. We got no opportunity in Donegal to consider this in the Estimates despite the fact that a decision was taken some 12 months ago. Donegal County Council wrote to the Department of Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of the Gaeltacht on 28 March. It is sad to say that neither of those Departments have replied as yet to the queries raised.
In the letter of 28 March to Roinn na Gaeltachta an official in Donegal County Council said that he sought clarification on the matter from Mr. X in Roinn na Gaeltachta who informed him that, as far as he was aware, the project had been delayed because the Department of Fisheries and Forestry were finding it difficult to make funds available for their percentage of the costs. Donegal County Council were informed by myself and members of the Burtonport co-op that we had been informed that 25 per cent was required. That was the first time that became known to members of Donegal County Council and to the officials of the council. So much for the interest the Minister has in the people of the Gaeltacht. Whoever was responsible for this acted in a most deceitful manner. They told us they would increase the Department of Fisheries grant from 50 per cent to 75 per cent and reduce the Department of the Gaeltacht grant from 50 per cent to nil.
Though Burtonport is in the heart of the Gaeltacht we must ask whether we are better in the Gaeltacht or out of it. Fianna Fáil were responsible for the extension of the harbour in 1972 when the late Deputy Noel Lemass was in charge of the Office of Public Works. Following a period of Coalition Government, Fianna Fáil were returned to power and once again provided moneys for this development but the Coalition who were again returned to office pruned the Estimates and did not provide any money for Burtonport which had been a developing harbour when Fianna Fáil were in office. That development has been reversed by the Coalition with the consequent disastrous effect on the area in terms of unemployment and so on. Boats as small as 40 feet are unable to enter Burtonport Harbour except at the risk of being damaged seriously and that would be one of the smallest boats using the harbour. The bigger boats can use the harbour only at high tide. Not only, then, have those boats to land at other ports in the county and in other counties in the west but in many cases they have to land in ports in Scotland. This results in much job losses in the area, an area in which the rate of unemployment is twice as high as the rate for the country as a whole.
The Minister for Fisheries and Forestry has a lot to answer for. It is not often that he comes to Donegal and I suspect that is because he cannot answer in respect of what the Coalition are doing in this whole area of harbour development. We are not talking about a small harbour. Burtonport has a turnover of £7 million. When we consider what has happened in Limerick in the constituency of the Minister for Justice, where 800 jobs are being lost for the sake of an extra £1 million, we must ask what chance we have in regard to what we are seeking and where many more jobs are involved.
Limerick East): The Deputy should stick with one target.
I appeal to the Minister to prevail on his colleague, the Minister for the Gaeltacht, to make the money available for Burtonport. I should like the Minister to tell us whether in the event of Donegal County Council agreeing to make available 25 per cent of the necessary moneys, the Government are prepared to make the remaining 75 per cent available, or in some deceitful way are they merely trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the fishermen and their representatives in the area?
We were deceived by the Minister, by the Minister of State and by officials of the Department. Obviously, there is no liaison between Donegal and Dublin, I say to those officials in Dublin that, regardless of what attitude the Ministers may adopt, the interests of the west must be looked after. Officials in Donegal say the money is available while officials in Dublin say it is not available. The air must be cleared as quickly as possible.
Mr. Coughlan
I should like to support Deputy Gallagher in this matter. All Donegal Deputies are very concerned about the serious problem in Burtonport. A large section of the community of The Rosses and Gweedore depend on that port and have been waiting for its development for a number of years but every promise made in that respect has been broken.
Another factor that must be considered is the fact that off the coast there is a large island with a big population. There is a ferry for the island's people but the passage for that ferry is dangerous. As Deputy Gallagher mentioned, the size of boat that can use the harbour is very restricted. In winter when the fishing season is at its peak, there would be a great saving to the big boats from Killybegs if they could call at Burtonport, discharge their catches, refuel and so on. If we are concerned with our fisheries industry, a commitment must be given in this respect. It is very unfair at this stage to renege on a promise made which was to the effect that 50 per cent of the necessary moneys would come from the Gaeltacht and 50 per cent from the Department of Fisheries, and instead to leave Donegal County Council who, like so many other local authorities, are very restricted financially, with a debt of £250,000.
Ba mhaith liom cúpla focal a rá faoi chomh tábhachtach is atá sé go ndéanfaí forbairt agus leathnú ar an ché ag Ailt an Chorráin agus chomh maith leis sin go ndéanfaí dreideáil ar an chalafort. Calafort an-tábhachtach é seo, an calafort is mó taobh amuigh de na Cealla Beaga i nGaeltacht Dhún na nGall. Ni hé amháin go bhfuil sé an-tábhachtach do na hiascairí a bhaineann úsáid as ach tá sé an-tábhachtach chomh maith do na daoine a bhíonn ag dul agus ag teacht as Oileán Árann Mór. Cuireadh a lán airgid isteach in Ailt an Chorráin agus in Arann Mór le cúpla bliain ach tá géar-ghá le tuilleadh forbairt a dhéanamh. Baineann longa a thagann isteach go hAilt an Chorráin agus a dhéanann freastal ar an Stát tionscail i nGaoth Dobhair úsáid as chalafort Ailt an Chorráin freisin.
Bhí cúpla cruinnithe againn le hAire na Gaeltachta agus tá a fhios agam go bhfuil deá-thoil an Aire againn faoi choinne an obair atá le déanamh in Ailt an Chorráin chomh maith le roinnt oibreacha atá le déanamh i gcalafoirt eile i dTír Chonaill. Ba mhaith liom a iarraidh ar an Aire a dhícheall a dhéanamh chomh luath agus is féidir leis an t-airgead a chur ar fáil sa dóigh gur féidir linn an obair seo atá chomh tábhachtach sin le hAilt an Chorráin a thabhairt chun críche gan mhoill.
Limerick East): Tá Aire na Gaeltachta agus an tAire Iascaigh agus Foraoiseachta, an Teachta O'Toole thar lear i gcuideachta an Uachtaráin faoi láthair.
Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil ceist na dreidireachta agus oibreacha eile i gcuan Ailt an Chorráin á plé aige mar Aire ar an dá Roinn le tamall anuas. Bheadh costas anmhór i gceist chun na hoibreacha sin a dhéanamh agus ó tharla nach bhfuil ach soláthar £350,000 i Vóta Roinn na Gaeltachta i mbliana le haghaidh muiroibreacha — airgead atá le caitheamh ar oibreacha eile atá ar siúl cheana féin — ní bheadh ar chumas na Roinne sin aon sciar réasúnta den chostas sin a sheasamh. Sna cuinsí sin chinn an tAire gur i ndáil leis an Vóta Iascaigh a bhreithneodh sé an cás agus tugadh an t-eolas sin don Teach mar fhreagra ar Cheist Dála a chuir an Teachta McGinley síos ar 21 Samhain 1984.
Tá soláthar £2.7 milliún le haghaidh muiroibreacha ar fáil don Roinn Iascaigh agus Foraoiseachta i mbliana. Tá clár oibre dá réir ullmhaithe ach de bharr gealltanais atá tugtha agus oibreacha eile le hardtosaíocht, níl ar a gcumas freastal ar na hoibreacha in Ailt an Chorráin as an soláthar £2.7 milliún. Meastar costas na dreidireachta amháin ag £860,000. Tá an obair dhreidireachta sin go hard in ord tosaíochta na Roinne Iascaigh agus Foraoiseachta agus tá sé á coimeád faoi bhreithniú acu i bhfianaise an tsoláthair airgid atá acu nó a bheidh ar fáil an bhliain seo chugainn.
The Dáil adjourned at 9 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 23 May 1985.