Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 January 2013
601. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will withdraw pay for parking at Howth Harbour as it will seriously damage local businesses and the tourism industry in Howth, County Dublin. [3852/13]
View answerHowth is one of 6 Fishery Harbour Centres operated by the State each of whose primary purpose is to provide facilities and services for the fishing industry and fisheries-related activities. There has been significant capital investment in all of the Fishery Harbour Centres in recent years. In parallel with fishing-related enhancements, there have been a number of developments at the Fishery Harbours that underpin their expanding use for leisure and marine tourism, as well as other maritime enterprises. I am well aware that Howth in particular has a long tradition in these areas as well as in commercial fishing.
As a consequence of the additional investment, the State is necessarily fully committed to maximising the return on its investment. Furthermore, my Department is required to ensure that the Fishery Harbour Centres are run on a financially sound basis. It is in those contexts that it is proposed to make a charge for the use of parking facilities provided within Howth Fishery Harbour Centre, in the same way that a charge is made for using any other of its facilities.
All income generated by the Fishery Harbour Centres goes back into a ring-fenced Fishery Harbour Centres Fund that is used exclusively for the operating, management and development costs of the Fishery Harbours. All of the day-to-day running costs, for example, Harbour Master and staff salaries, electricity and fuel costs, harbour cleaning and maintenance etc of each Fishery Harbour Centres are financed from the Fund. It is the only source of income available to fund this expenditure, without which the Fishery Harbour Centres could not provide a service to their customers, the harbour users and the visiting public. Income lodged to the Fishery Harbour Centres Fund is invested directly back into the Fishery Harbour Centres and can be used for no other purpose.
The Rates & Charges Order is the legal instrument that enables charges to be levied that provide the income necessary for the provision of the various services at the Fishery Harbours. The rates and charges are set at a level sufficient to provide adequately for the costs involved while balancing the need to finance the management of the harbours with the needs of the various harbour customers.
The introduction of parking charges at Howth Fishery Harbour Centre was originally examined some years ago in the context of a proposed Howth Traffic and Parking Management Plan, in conjunction with Fingal Council. That project did not subsequently proceed. There was widespread public consultation at that time and I am well aware of the views and concerns expressed at the time by local businesses and other interests, that are still being expressed today in relation to the new scheme. However, in the current economic climate, it is essential that all of the State’s enterprises pay their way, and the State must necessarily be fully committed to maximising the return on its investment.
Howth Fishery Harbour Centre is first and foremost a working fishery harbour. As such, full access is required for commercial traffic servicing the fishing side and the various ancillary enterprises, with appropriate parking arrangements. Other harbour users such as the yacht club and other social users also require reasonable access to parking facilities. A significant number of parking spaces in the Fishery Harbour are currently being taken up by commuters using the DART service during the working week, when the DART station car park is full. It is essential that the needs of all users are accommodated in a safe and secure facility. However, it is generally acknowledged that traffic and parking management within the Fishery Harbour Centre itself has needs to be addressed, particularly in the light of concerns raised about safety and emergency access by the Coastguard, the Lifeboat service, and an Gárda Síochána. The introduction of pay parking is one of a number of measures being introduced to address those concerns.
The current Rates and Charges Order SI 214/2012 provides for a charge for parking but no set charge has yet been fixed for Howth. Given that there are approx 500 parking spaces within the Fishery Harbour Centre boundaries at present, it is clear that a significant source of revenue exists. It is illogical that some harbour users would expect to continue to use such a facility free of charge given that the State is required to maintain that facility, and when other users, i.e. those users of the harbour who are already paying into the Fund for using the harbour facilities, are effectively paying for its upkeep. The new parking arrangements will include pay and display parking for visitors, and a permit management system for the harbour’s business users. Regular Harbour users will have noticed that all currently available parking spaces have been identified and marked recently.
My Department has asked the Planning Department of Fingal Council for guidance on their requirements in relation to minimising the potential environmental and visual impacts of the pay and display machines and of any associated directional signage, and will be pleased to take account of any requirements and recommendations they may have.
The additional revenues to be generated from pay parking at Howth Fishery Harbour Centre, which I expect will be significant when fully operational, will be re-invested in facilities and enhancements that would not otherwise have been possible given the current financial constraints. I believe these improvements can only be of benefit to the marine and leisure tourism sectors and local economies in general. In the longer term, I believe that both the Howth Fishery Harbour Centre users and Howth people in general will recognise the benefits that will accrue from this previously untapped resource. I can assure the Deputy that the scheme for the new parking regime will seek to be fair to all of the users of the harbour while at the same time ensuring that everyone pays their fair share.
