I believe this Bill is a very important step in the right direction for the future of Dún Laoghaire Harbour. It is a technical Bill which transfers the functions in relation to the harbour from the office of Public Works to the Department of the Marine. It is a short Bill.
Dún Laoghaire Harbour is a very important asset, not alone to the people of Dún Laoghaire but to the people of Dublin. It is a magnificant harbour of 250 sheltered acres of water and is an important source of employment, providing up to 1,000 jobs. Anyone who has taken a walk down either the east or west pier of Dún Laoghaire will have seen the great potential that the harbour holds and I am happy that we are seeing in this Bill an important step in its future development.
Because of the strong public interest in the harbour the former Minister for the Marine, Deputy Daly, established in April 1988 a planning review group chaired by Professor Dermot McAleese to examine overall harbour policy and to recommend the best method for progress on the development of the harbour. The review group rightly recommends the maintenance of the balance between recreational, commercial and public service activities in the harbour. The report points out that Dún Laoghaire is uniquely well places for marine related leisure activities. In addition to these benefits, the development of marine facilities would provide a start for marine related commercial activities and, therefore, jobs involved in building, repairing, sail making and other marine related activities. I would like to take this opportunity to urge the Department of the Marine to take into account the many views which have been expressed by all strands of public opinion in the Dún Laoghaire area. People have expressed concern about access and the use of the facilities in the 200 acres of water between the east and west piers and also the position of the four yacht clubs within the harbour.
Dublin City Council and the planning committee of which I am a member recently did a rejuvenation plan for the Grand Canal Dock in the city and the planners did an enormous amount of research into that plan and visited various dockland areas and marinas all over England. They got many good ideas from their visit and they also brought up many good ideas of their own. One of the biggest problems they found, which was unacceptable as far as Dublin was concerned, was the lack of access to the water for the general public. This is very important. This is a mistake and had been made in England where people cannot get to the water to use the facilities. I would urge the Department to take this into consideration when the interim body come back with their recommendations. It is vital that the general public have access to all the facilities in the harbour.
The future for Dún Laoghaire Harbour will be through a joint partnership between the public and private sectors. The interim authority will play a valuable role in evaluating the proposals before them and they can pass on the recommendations to the Minister for action. Even though the Bill before us is limited in scope it does constitute an important part of the legislative process for the development of Dún Laoghaire harbour.
