Vol. 434 No. 9
12 Mr. Deenihan asked the Taoiseach the recent progress that has been made in relation to the further development of the Shannon Estuary especially the Tarbert/Ballylongford land bank, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
A Shannon Estuary project team has been established with the following terms of reference: "to secure the integrated economic development of the Shannon Estuary as the focus for the establishment of Ireland as an economically strategic trading bridgehead between Continental Europe and third countries".
The project team includes representatives of the Department of the Marine, the Department of the Environment, the Industrial Development Authority, the University of Limerick, Limerick Harbour Commissioners, Foynes Harbour Trustees and Shannon Development.
Initially the work of the project team focused on marketing the concept of Ireland's strategic centrality. Subsequently, attention has been devoted to the task of devising a flagship project which would be supported with EC Structural Funds. This requires agreement on a long term vision and statement of key development priorities for the estuary. To assist in this task the project team made a decision to engage consultants whose brief can be summarised as follows: (1) to define the vision of the estuary/flagship project; (2) to give priority to the items of infrastructure required.
The project team appointed consultants to carry out this work, agreed their detailed terms of reference and commissioned a report which seeks to bring together elements from existing development plans of the local authorities and development agencies to devise an overall agreed strategic development programme. The key reason for appointing the consultants was to ensure that the analysis was objective and that an independent organisation would be available to support the case for EC funding for an integrated estuary development programme.
The project team will produce specific recommendations for decision on the basis of the consultants' report which, I understand, will be completed shortly.
These decisions can then be implemented as part of the statement of integrated development for the Shannon region which, as I stated in opening the debate on the National Development Plan, will now be produced to show action for each region under the plan.
The work of the consultants is being sponsored by: Limerick Harbour Commissioners, Foynes Harbour Trustees and Shannon Development. I understand that the estuary project team is investigating means of securing incremental investment which will maintain the option of fully developing the Tarbert-Ballylongford site for industry should a suitable client be identified.
The Taoiseach did not mention previous replies to me in the Dáil on the same subject. Has any progress been made on negotiations with, for example, the Polish Government, the Russian Federation, the Canadian Government and other projects he mentioned in the Dáil? Will the Taoiseach be more specific on the Tarbert-Ballylongford land bank? Is there a specific commitment in the operational programme for infrastructural development on the land bank?
The Deputy should await the development plan from the consultancy team. I have spelled out its detailed terms of reference. I would also point out in relation to the items the Deputy has raised that there has been a number of meetings regarding Russian engineers and scientists and visits to Russia in the past. The uncertainty of the situation there suggests we hasten slowly. It is not clear what will happen there. The Deputy can take it that those matters are being followed up. Even as we speak there are Russian engineers in the country following up aspects of that development.
May I ask one final question?
I am sorry, Deputy, but I am obliged to proceed to priority questions.
Question Time has become a charade.
There are five priority questions to be dealt with, I am calling Question No. 17 in the name of Deputy Doyle.
