Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 January 2024
60. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if the licence issued to the Bere Island Projects Group for access to the Lonehort Battery on Bere Island (details supplied) can be renewed immediately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2764/24]
View answerThis issue is more local. It is to ask about a licence that was in place between the Bere Island Projects Group and the Department of Defence for access to the Lonehort Battery on Bere Island. Why was the licence not renewed? When can it be renewed?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. There is a long-standing policy of allowing third-party access to Defence Forces facilities and properties in order to support the local communities and to raise the profile of the Defence Forces. This policy extends to a wide number of groups and activities, including GAA clubs, soccer clubs and numerous community groups throughout the country.
As the Deputy correctly said, there is a long-standing association with the Bere Island Projects Group, stretching back to 2013. This has been an association the Department has been happy to support and, I am advised, remains committed to doing so. The Department entered into a formal licence agreement with the Bere Island Projects Group for the use of Lonehort Battery on Bere Island on two previous occasions. The licence allows the group access to the battery for the purpose of its preservation, associated works and its possible development as a visitor attraction.
An application for a licence renewal from the Bere Island Projects Group for access to Lonehort Battery is being actively processed by the Department. In advance of the legal indentures being finalised, I have instructed the officials to issue a letter of comfort to the organisation confirming that it is intended to renew the licence on the same terms as previously agreed.
Deputy O'Sullivan has been raising this issue with me for quite some time. It is a very good project and I pay tribute to the group for the work it does. I recommend people to pay a visit to Bere Island if the weather improves.
I thank the Tánaiste. That is a great answer and I do not know what to do now with my speaking time. It was such a positive response. It is good news and the sooner it progresses the better. I visited Bere Island recently. The Tánaiste might have seen the headlines about the electricity being cut off on the island for more than 30 hours. The subsea cable connecting the island to the mainland was cut by activity that should not have been happening in the inlet at the time. I went to visit the island because being without power for 30 hours is a dark thing for any island community to go through. We did not just talk about loss of electricity; we spoke about so much else.
The Bere Island Projects Group is a fantastic initiative on the island. It organises tours of the Lonehort Battery, which was built in 1899 and used during the First World War. It is an incredible attraction. It is good news that the licence will be renewed. It means the two tour guides who give full guided tours of the battery can continue to do so. The maintenance side is very important, with community employment and Tús workers and volunteers maintaining the battery. They do jobs such as cutting the grass. It is very important that this operation remain in place. Perhaps we can touch on funding to turn it into a world-class tourist attraction.
I thank Deputy O'Sullivan. West Cork people are very self-reliant, innovative and enterprising, particularly the people of the Beara Peninsula and Bere Island itself. The Department of Defence administers 91.05 ha of land on Bere Island on behalf of the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in whom the land is vested. The Department of Defence administers 11-month land lettings on 129 acres on Ardagh Mountain and 12.5 acres at Camp Rerrin for the grazing of sheep, cattle and Dexter cattle. The Department of Defence has a fairly significant presence on Bere Island. I hear what Deputy O'Sullivan is saying. It is a strong community. If, through other Departments and agencies, we can support this initiative, I would be very interested in pursuing it with the Deputy.
I thank the Tánaiste. Since he mentioned other Departments and agencies, there is a great opportunity for the Bere Island community to transform the Lonehort Battery into a world-class visitor attraction to attract people to the island. I am not sure whether the Department of Defence is directly involved in this type of activity with regard to tourist attractions but perhaps something like a long-term lease with Cork County Council could be arranged that would allow access to funding to make it a world-class visitor attraction. I am thinking of places such as Spike Island and Charles Fort in Kinsale. There is potential.
I visited the island and although my next point is certainly not in the remit of the Minister, I will bring it up during my speaking time. Islanders depend on access by boat and having proper pier and slipway infrastructure. The piers and slipways on Bere Island badly need upgrading and improvement. It can only be accessed by ferry. This is a very important point to bring up in Cabinet discussions with relevant Ministers. I hope this is something that can be raised with them.
On the latter point, I am not sure whether the Brexit adjustment reserve funding applied. There was significant ramping up of investment in piers. I will speak to the Minister for agriculture in respect of this specific issue. My Department is open to seeing what we can do long term to facilitate certainty. Spike Island happened and I was involved in it at the time. The county manager asked me whether we could persuade the Department of Justice and the then Minister, Senator McDowell, to release Spike Island to the county council. The county council took it on board and the rest is history. I will examine this matter and discuss it with my colleagues and officials in the Department.
