Vol. 521 No. 2
35 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the reason Cork was excluded from the £10 million coastal protection programme for the year 2000; his views on whether there are many coastal erosion schemes in Cork in need of grant aid; and if he will now announce a separate coastal protection package for Cork. [16628/00]
The coastal protection programme for 2000, involving a total expenditure of £10 million, will allow essential works to be undertaken at a range of coastline locations. Projects were selected for inclusion in the programme on a priority basis and took account of the principal urgent coastal protection needs which have been notified to my Department by local authorities.
I assure the Deputy that full consideration was given to the coastal protection needs of all coastal counties, including County Cork, in drawing up the programme for 2000. The main priority scheme identified by Cork County Council is at The Warren, Rosscarbery. Given the need for further detailed scientific investigations before this project could proceed, it would have been premature to allocate further funding to the project at this stage. The position will, however, be kept under close review in light of the situation at Rosscarbery and the overall progress of projects generally under the 2000 programme. I will continue to keep the priorities of Cork County Council in mind in the context of future coastal protection funding decisions, including Youghal and Barleycove where funding was made available in 1999, as well as Rosscarbery.
Is the Minister aware that Cork is the largest county in Ireland and that it has 1,200 miles of coastline? How can he justify producing a coastal protection programme which includes three projects in Louth – I have nothing against that—
We did not receive enough either.
—and which excludes Cork? Is he aware that 26 projects in Cork await funding from his Department? Is he telling us with a straight face that he is trying to justify a £10 million project which excludes Cork and that Cork will not receive a bob this year?
The main priority scheme identified by Cork County Council was The Warren in Rosscarbery. I visited the location and it is a lovely place. While I am interested in providing funds for that project, there is a need for further scientific investigation before it can proceed. Therefore, it would have been premature for me to allocate funding to the project. A little homework needs to be done in Cork to sort out the area's problems.
I am in favour of the work being done in The Warren. A State Department has raised an objection to that work. Is the fact that work cannot proceed at Rosscarbery the Minister's excuse for excluding the other 1,200 miles of coastline and the other 26 projects for coastal protection in County Cork?
I will take three supplementary questions and a final reply from the Minister and that will conclude Question Time.
Is the Minister aware that his Department informed me almost two years ago that £5 million of remedial works were required to be carried out urgently in Youghal? Is he also aware that the only money which has been supplied has been to conduct a further study to see the best way of spending the £5 million? Two winters have gone by and the beach is in danger of disappearing. Will the Minister please take action now to ensure this does not happen?
I have previously raised the issue of a stretch of coastline at Annagassan in my constituency of County Louth, which is almost at the road. I know Deputy O'Keeffe would not begrudge us our funding, even though we are a much smaller county than County Cork. Needless to say, what we have received is not enough. One can never receive enough for this type of work because of its cost.
Now that the money has been announced for these projects, will the Minister ensure that an instruction is given to his Department through the Department of the Environment and Local Government that this work be carried out urgently? I am glad the Minister for the Environment and Local Government has arrived because our experience has been that the transfer to another Department of moneys for work usually delays that work. There should be the maximum co-ordination and co-operation between the two Departments to get this work done on time.
I am glad Deputy O'Keeffe has raised this important issue with the Minister. He must be concerned that I could disappear into the Atlantic Ocean.
That would be a real tragedy.
I come from an area that embraces the three peninsular areas of County Cork which have been repelling the Atlantic Ocean since time immemorial. Were it not for those, the country would have been washed away long ago. There is serious erosion of my constituency by the Atlantic Ocean each year. Perhaps the Minister will find time during his summer holidays to visit the Mizen, Sheep's Head and Beara peninsulas to see the havoc caused by the Atlantic Ocean and the danger which exists for property, that it may fall into the sea. I implore the Minister to treat the matter seriously and give us adequate finance to bridge the gap to help repel the waters of the Atlantic Ocean during the winter storms.
If it is only Fine Gael voters, we will do nothing about it.
I do not blame the Cork Deputies for believing their county is the only one in the country and that places such as Louth, Galway and Mayo do not enter the frame. I feel as if I am in the middle of the general election in west Cork at present.
The Minister would want a map and compass to find it.
I have invited the Minister there.
His party does not have a great reputation in the area.
Much of the problem with the Cork coastline is that the homework has not been done. I examined Youghal which Deputy Stanton mentioned and we commissioned a coastal protection programme last year in respect of a study of the protection needs of Youghal and paid £40,000 for it. We still await the results of that study which are not available yet. Other locations mentioned were found not to have the urgency and priority of other areas around the coastline which were chosen. Consequently, we were not in a position to provide west Cork with an allocation of money on this occasion.
We will be happy to re-examine the Rosscarbery situation and I have told the local community there, following the strong representations which I received from Youghal, that we would be interested and anxious. The west Cork Deputies' colleague, the Minister, Deputy Walsh, who brought me to Rosscarbery, was anxious that we examine the situation there with a view to doing something. I will be glad to visit Sheep's Head and other places with Deputy Sheehan when I am next in west Cork.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate
