I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment, on which I have raised it previously. I have also raised it nine or ten times by way of parliamentary questions. I welcome the Minister of State.
Four major reports have been carried out on coastal erosion in east Cork, most recently in 2001. A report carried out in 2000 cost more than €26,000. All of the reports indicate the need for urgent action as the problem in east Cork is very serious. In 1999 I was told it would cost about £5 million to resolve the issue.
Youghal is a tourist town with a fantastic beach which I encourage the Minister to walk if he is ever in the area. It is a great amenity, not only for local people but the whole country. At the beginning of the last century groynes were placed at right angles to the beach to prevent coastal erosion. They have been eroded to the point where they are more or less gone – in fact, they are a danger because all that is left is spikes sticking out of the sand. It is important that they are replaced because the beach is disappearing; it is being eroded into the harbour.
Ballyvergan bog, close by, is an important wildlife sanctuary which is also under threat, as is an amount of farmland in the low-lying area around Gortroe and Ballymacoda. I have visited some of these areas and seen at first hand the devastation caused by the sea within a very short time. This week a young lad who was visiting Leinster House told me that his father's farm was being eroded and in danger of being submerged under sea water.
A lot of land is at risk in east Cork. It is surprising that no compensation or grants scheme is available to assist landowners in protecting their land against coastal erosion. This is something the Minister should consider. It seems unfair to put landowners in that position.
Cork County Council has made this matter a priority and I ask the Minister to investigate it again. The reports are in his Department. In the light of the upcoming Estimates and the budget, will he see what he can do to make resources available to address this urgent problem? Like our colleagues in the west, it will be too late when the sea encroaches. In Gortroe, a farmer spent a considerable amount, running to tens of thousands of euro, to rescue his land from the sea when the sea breached the coastal defences. The problem is that serious.
At this stage State intervention is needed. If the State does not intervene and follow on the work the Victorians carried out, which has now been destroyed by time and the elements, I fear a good deal of land in east Cork will be lost. Roads will be submerged and people isolated on islands. Now is the time to act. I look forward to the Minister's response and ask him to personally consider this matter as soon as he can because I do not raise it lightly. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise it.
Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Mr. N. Ahern): I would like to respond to the matter raised by the Deputy on behalf of the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Dermot Ahern.
Coastal erosion is a natural process at locations around the coastline. Of the 5,800 kilometres of coastline in the Republic, some 3,000 are comprised of what might be called "soft coastline" consisting of sandy beaches, sand dunes and clay cliffs. Erosion rates around the coast range from zero at many stable locations to a maximum of approximately one to two metres per annum in some areas, particularly on the east coast. In general, erosion of a coastline takes place gradually but in some cases an individual storm or a cliff collapse can lead to sudden and often spectacular changes.
The types of land and property under threat from coastal erosion are as diverse as the locations in which the problem is occurring. Areas under threat include private land, land of marginal agricultural value, public infrastructure, areas of geological importance and natural heritage areas. The rate of coastal erosion can also be affected by economic and amenity activities and usages in the coastal zone. For example, pressure on beaches and dune systems through large numbers of visitors can accelerate the process of erosion.
Primary responsibility for coastal protection rests with the property owner, be it a private individual or local authority. Last year the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources wrote to all coastal local authorities requesting proposals for consideration in the 2003-06 period. Cork County Council responded by submitting 23 proposals for consideration. Youghal Town Council also submitted a proposal for a coastal protection scheme. The county council did not submit any proposals in respect of Gortroe or Ballymacoda.
This year €1.072 million of Exchequer funding was provided for coastal local authorities for coastal protection works. Local authorities must provide 25% of the total cost of the works. Coastal protection works are, by their nature, costly undertakings. Accordingly, the selection of projects must be based on a clear cost benefit justification. The priority is to safeguard human life and protect public property, including roads and other public infrastructures and amenities. I note the Deputy's comment that a road might be at risk. The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has no funding available for the protection of privately owned property. The proposals received from local authorities are carefully examined by officials of the Department in accordance with priority criteria, namely, to protect public safety, public property or any form of infrastructure; to protect areas of socio-economic, tourism or recreational importance – I note the Deputy's offer to walk the beach, although I do not know whether it falls under this category; to support the economic development or increase the economic potential of coastal regions, which probably covers a multitude; to provide essential protection for areas or features of environmental or heritage significance; and avert the need for costly remedial works at a later stage, provided it is not "soft" farmland.
The proposal from Youghal Town Council is for a significant multi-annual project, estimated to cost between €5 million and €6 million. Phase 1 of the project involves strengthening the existing sea wall and the construction of a 250 metre long groyne. Phase 2 involves the construction of three further 250 metre long groynes in a staged fashion. Phase 3 involves the consideration of the use of beach nourishment at a later stage when the effects of the groynes become apparent. In 2001 the town council received funding support from the Department towards the preparation of tender and planning documents for the project. I am not in a position to comment on the position at Gortroe or Ballymacoda as the Department has not received any proposals from Cork County Council in respect of these locations.
As previously stated, the Exchequer provision this year is just over €1.072 million and it was not possible to allocate funding in respect of the Youghal proposal. However, €120,000 was provided for Cork County Council to facilitate the provision of beach groynes at Warren Strand, Rosscarberry. The question of providing Exchequer funding towards coastal protection works in County Cork in the following years will depend upon Exchequer funding. While I note the Deputy's comments and will pass them on to the Minister, perhaps he could do something at local level to get the county council to push the case for the two other areas mentioned.