Vol. 542 No. 2
167 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources when his Department will approve a site to accommodate Castletownbere Lifeboat on the pier at Castletownbere, County Cork; and if funding will be provided for the project. [23995/01]
Two adjoining sites on Dinish Island have been requested from the Department by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – RNLI – for the operation of a lifeboat at Castletownbere. Some time ago draft leases for both sites were drawn up by the Chief State Solicitor and forwarded to the RNLI's solicitors. Various amendments to the draft leases have been negotiated between the parties. The Chief State Solicitor wrote to the RNLI's solicitors in July 2001 requesting confirmation of the RNLI's instructions so that the matter might be finalised. The response to this is awaited.
Recently the Castletownbere Lifeboat branch committee had informal preliminary discussions with the engineering section of the Department regarding a possible new site on the mainland quay. The committee expressed a strong preference for this new site, but no formal proposal has been received from the RNLI.
While direct funding per se is not available, the Department makes an annual grant of £100,000 to the RNLI in recognition of work carried out on a voluntary basis. How this money is spent is at the discretion of the RNLI. Further indirect aid is provided through
grant-aiding works, for example berthing structures, which facilitate the vital and greatly appreciated operation of the RNLI around our coasts.
