Vol. 298 No. 4
asked the Minister for Fisheries the expenditure from State funds and the year of the expenditure on (a) the general improvement and (b) the improvement of piers at Balbriggan Harbour, County Dublin; the nature of the improvements; and the expenditure of the harbour authority in each five-year period over the past 30 years, including (i) the nature and cost of improvements and (ii) the nature and cost of maintenance.
99.
asked the Minister for Fisheries why a concrete surface has not yet been laid on the long pier at Balbriggan Harbour, County Dublin, to accommodate fishing vessels and service vehicles.
101.
asked the Minister for Fisheries if he will furnish information on the utilities and lack of utilities at Balbriggan Harbour, County Dublin, for fishing and other interests and state (i) the name of the harbour authority (ii) the dimensions of the long pier and the surface area (iii) the condition and utility of the surface of the long pier and of the pier in general (iv) the depth of water at full tide and half tide at the pier head, the pier angle and the slip (long pier) (v) the depth of water at full tide and half tide in the inner harbour (vi) the depth of silt in the inner harbour and the cubic measure of the accumulated silt (vii) the number of mooring bollards and lights on the long pier (viii) the length and location of fresh water pipes on each pier (ix) the location of oil storage tanks on the short pier and (x) the dimension and surface area of the short pier.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 98, 99 and 101 together. The pier and harbour at Balbriggan are the responsibility of the Dublin Port and Docks Board to whom the queries about the details of the existing harbour facilities and expenditure by the board on improvements and on maintenance works and costs should be addressed. The information requested about State aid for this harbour is contained in reply to another question tabled by the Deputy for answer today.
100.
asked the Minister for Fisheries the amount of State aid granted for improvements of the following piers in County Dublin: (i) Balbriggan (ii) Skerries (iii) Loughshinny (iv) Rush (v) Rogerstown and (vi) Howth.
State expenditure on improvement works, as distinct from maintenance, at Skerries and Howth amounted to £48,654 and £471,116 respectively over the past ten years. There was no state expenditure in that period on the other harbours referred to by the Deputy.
102.
asked the Minister for Fisheries if he will furnish information regarding the cost or estimated cost of carrying out the following works to restore and improve the general utility of Balbriggan Harbour, County Dublin: (i) the provision of a concrete surface on the long pier capable of anchoring mooring bollards for fishing vessels et cetera, near the edge of the pier as provided at Skerries Harbour and the removal of the timber bollards at present located in the middle of the pier surface (ii) the provision of a piped supply of fresh water on each pier to the pier head (iii) the provision of additional lights on the piers and (iv) the removal of silt at low tide from the inner harbour under a planned programme.
Programmes of harbour development for ports and landing places around the coast in the fisheries interest are drawn up and carried out in a systematic and orderly manner. The programmes are based on the reports of survey teams comprising engineers of the county council concerned, the Office of Public Works and my Department and also representatives of Bord Fáilte and An Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
The survey team for the County Dublin coastline carried out inspections of the County Dublin ports and landing places last July and furnished its report to me on 15th February, 1977. As regards Balbriggan harbour the only improvement work recommended by the team was the dredging of the harbour and I am having this recommendation considered and costed. This involves the drawing up of an engineering report by the Office of Public Works, and until I have that report and the estimate of cost I cannot say what the nature of the work will entail and consequently what the cost is likely to be. As no proposals have been made to my Department in relation to the other works referred to by the Deputy the estimated costs of these works are not available in my Department.
