Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 November 2019
225. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the necessary funding will be provided to complete the breakwater at Greencastle Harbour, County Donegal, a project that his Department previously funded to its current stage. [47902/19]
View answerGreencastle Harbour is owned by Donegal County Council and responsibility for its maintenance and development rests with that Local Authority in the first instance and its parent Department, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government thereafter.
My Department owns, operates and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl under statute. In addition, my Department also has responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of North Harbour at Cape Clear, as well as the maintenance of a small number of specific piers, lights and beacons throughout Ireland, in accordance with the Marine Works (Ireland) Act 1902, and piers, lights and beacons constructed under the auspices of the Congested Districts Board.
My legislative remit does not extend to Greencastle Harbour, and given that the ownership of, and overall responsibility for Greencastle Harbour rests with the County Council, it is the Council who will decide on any further development, repair or maintenance of Greencastle Harbour.
Any further programme of works, the costings and timescales for those works, would have to be considered further in the context of Government priorities and Project Ireland 2040.
My Department does provide limited funding to assist coastal Local Authorities in carrying out small scale projects for the development and repair of Local Authority owned piers, harbours and slipways under the annual Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, subject to available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities. Since 2010, Donegal County Council has received funding of € 2.9m under this programme.
I have approved funding of €2.2m for the Local Authority element of my Department’s 2019 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. Donegal County Council has secured €172,500 of funding for six projects under this year’s programme. A key element in the determination of the projects to be funded is the priority placed on them by the Local Authority, and while an application was received in relation to Greencastle, the approved projects received a higher prioritisation by Donegal County Council.
Should any application be submitted by Donegal County Council in relation to Greencastle under any future programme, it will be given due consideration, taking into account the terms and conditions of the scheme, the priority attached by the Council and available funds.
