Vol. 524 No. 5
179 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by Bunbeg fishermen with the ice plant located on the Pier, Bunbeg, County Donegal; and if he will consider replacing this ice plant with a smaller one which will be more economical to operate and maintain. [23198/00]
The ice plant at Bunbeg, owned by BIM, was installed in 1992 and leased, on a commercial basis, to the local fishermen's association. I understand from BIM that demand for ice from the facility has been at such a low level that production has been minimal since its installation.
Operating the plant at such low production levels, has made the cost of producing ice prohibitive and has placed a strain on the resources of the fishermen's association as the lessee. Given the operational costs and overheads, it is not economically viable for either the local fishermen or for BIM to operate the Bunbeg plant.
Following consultation with the association, BIM's decision to remove the facility from Bunbeg has been notified to the fishermen. The relatively small demand for ice can be adequately serviced from the BIM ice plant at nearby Burtonport.
