I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me raise this matter on the Adjournment. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, to the House. It is good that the Minister of State with responsibility for the issue is here to respond and I hope he has good news for me tonight.
I raise the issue of Buncrana breakwater not only because it is long-standing but because it is an issue of health and safety. I have raised this issue many times, as I will demonstrate before I finish. Ned's Point, Buncrana has been the location for the RNLI, an organisation that has been working well and which has continued to acknowledge the terrific work being done by the volunteers in the Buncrana area through providing bigger and better boats for the RNLI.
The RNLI, however, should be based out of Buncrana Harbour. There have been significant attempts within the council area to ensure that dredging takes place to enable boats of all sorts to get in and out of the harbour, but primarily the RNLI boat. Unfortunately, dredging has not worked and the harbour seems to silt up as fast as it is dredged. Therefore, the solution deemed necessary is a breakwater, estimated to cost approximately €1 million when the need was identified.
We have had announcements on funding for the breakwater at least twice, if not more. We have also had matching funds in place at least twice, yet there seems to be ongoing difficulty with regard to a lease. Now, so many years after we first raised the issue it has gone beyond a joke. On previous occasions when I raised the issue in the Seanad, I asked who will be responsible when and if the boat cannot get out. There have been instances already when the RNLI has not been able to respond as speedily as it needed and there have been times when it was unable to get back into the harbour. Fortunately, up to now no fatalities arose on those occasions, but in the nature of the job it is only a matter of time before they do.
All of us in the area are anxious to acknowledge the tremendous work of the volunteers in the area. We need the breakwater and this has been accepted by the Government and the Department but I wonder why, despite raising the issue with every Minister that has been in charge of this area, there is a delay or what is causing the problem. Can we get to a point where the problem is resolved?
Over a year and a half ago, at Christmas 2006, the county manager came to Dublin and sat with the Minister at the time, Deputy Noel Dempsey and me and we went through the issues. The Minister agreed what needed to be done and I was told in January 2007 that everything was in place and everything that needed to be done was being done.
I wish to give the Minister of State an idea of the written record of contact I have had with Ministers or officials on the issue. I wrote to then Minister of State, Deputy John Browne, in April 2006. In April 2007 a sum of €562,500 was granted for the construction of the breakwater. A sum of €900,000 was granted in 2007 and it was agreed to keep that in the 2008 budget. I asked parliamentary questions on the issue on 27 September 2006, 15 February 2007, 24 April 2007, 19 February 2008. I raised the issue in the Seanad in November 2007. I wrote to the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, in November 2006, the foreshore section in November 2006, John Quinlan in December 2006, the Taoiseach in January 2007 and the Minister of State here present, Deputy Killeen, on 26 June 2008. I also wrote to Deputy John Browne, former Minister of State, again on 31 October 2007 and in January, February, April and June of 2008.
If this is not evidence of the urgency of the situation, I do not know what more I can say to stress that this breakwater is vital. I do not know how much I can stress the need for a breakwater to protect RNLI workers. I hope the Minister of State has good news for me.
