Vol. 405 No. 4
14 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for the Marine if he will outline (a) the estimated cost of repairs arising from coastal erosion in each coastal county in the years 1985 to 1991, (b) the amount of money which was spent on the repair of damage caused by coastal erosion in each coastal county during this period, and (c) the plans he has with regard to arresting further erosion; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
My Department do not have an estimate of the cost of repairs arising from coastal erosion in each coastal county for the years 1985 to 1991.
The expenditure from the Vote for the Office of Public Works in the period 1985 to 1989 and by my Department, from 1990 to 14 February 1991, on coast protection, was as stated in the tabular statement I am circulating in the Official Report.
In the years 1985 to 1989, the cost of coast protection maintenance works, undertaken by the Office of Public Works, was recoverable, in accordance with the provisions of the Coast Protection Act, 1963, from the relevant local authorities.
Local authorities may include provision for coast protection in their estimates prepared in the context of their rate support grant funding from the Department of the Environment. However, neither the Department of the Environment nor my Department have details of the amounts spent by the local authorities on coast protection.
My Department's policy is to facilitate the implementation of permanent coast protection schemes, where warranted. In particular, studies are continuing into the erosion problems at Bray and at Rosslare Strand with a view to advancing proposals for undertaking worthwhile protection schemes at both locations.
Expenditure on Coast Protection
1985-1989 Office of Public Works
1990-1991* Department of the Marine
|
Year |
Wexford |
Cork |
Sligo |
Donegal |
Wicklow |
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
1985 |
171,947.00 |
10,645.20 |
3,378.42 |
2,160.37 |
— |
|
1986 |
92,456.86 |
8,854.42 |
— |
399.94 |
— |
|
1987 |
138,518.09 |
24.85 |
— |
378.53 |
— |
|
1988 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
1989 |
84,011.05 |
— |
5,129.93 |
1,387.43 |
— |
|
1990 |
103,854.06 |
— |
11,000.00 |
6,000.00 |
928,899.62 |
|
1991* |
1,907.00 |
6,019.00 |
— |
— |
35,384.00 |
*To 14 February 1991.
Does the Minister agree with the scientific evidence indicating that coastal erosion is becoming an increasing problem because of the rise in the level of waters in the world's seas and oceans?
There is evidence to suggest that there is a rise in water levels. This is supposed to be due to the melting of ice in the polar regions. The weather we have had since Christmas would not lead me to believe that such water was created in that way in the locality recently. It is a scientific fact that water levels have risen and this will, of course, add to the problems of erosion and flooding in sea areas.
Would the Minister agree that the Marine Institute should have a role to play in coastal erosion in the future?
I am sure that any scientific inquiries related to coastal erosion would be appropriate to the Marine Institue.
We do not have the benefit of the tabular statement to which the Minister referred. Would he accept that the total amount spent in coastal protection over the past five or ten years has been very small, that the Coast Protection Act, 1963, has been virtually unworkable and that there are proposals for coast protection schemes under that Act which cannot be advanced because of a lack of finance for example, the proposal made by Dublin County Council in 1979 for a coast protection scheme for the south County Dublin coastline which cannot be advanced because of a lack of funds? Would he agree that it is necessary to amend the 1963 Coast Protection Act to provide additional resources to support it?
As I indicated in my reply, I do not have the statistics of expenditure for the reasons I have outlined. The obligation has only attached to my Department since 1 January 1990; before that the responsibility lay with the Office of Public Works and the local authorities. I do not have the statistics on this. However, I have the statistics — and the Deputy will get them — of the expenditure by the Office of Public Works between 1986-89 by my Department during 1990-91 go nuige seo.
Does the Minister consider that the Coast Protection Act needs to be amended? Will he—
The Deputy has already posed that question. We are having repetition.
Will the Minister give an undertaking that he will examine the Coast Protection Act, 1963, to see if it is adequate to deal with the problems of coastal erosion of which we are all aware?
I have examined the Act and I can tell the Deputy that it is not the most flexible of Acts.
May I ask the Minister if an audit has been carried out recently on the amount of money needed to secure our coastline? Is he aware that last year Kerry County Council submitted an estimate of £10 million just to ensure that our coastline would be protected from the elements? Can his Department come up with such resources as those demanded by Kerry County Council?
The Deputy is raising a particular matter worthy of a separate question.
It is a general question.
The Deputy is going from the general to the particular.
Do the Department——
Please, Deputy.
——have the necessary resources to meet the demands of the various councils in this respect?
There is an inclination to do two things — to confuse coastal erosion and storm damage. I received a communication from Kerry County Council and I think there is a scheme for the Magharees which is regarded as satisfactory to prevent that peninsula from splitting in two. The question has been answered already in the larger context: it is a matter for the local authorities and my Department have a certain role, which they intend to play.
