Vol. 466 No. 2
149 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for the Marine the funding that is required to address the problem of coastal erosion; the progress, if any, he has made in this respect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11123/96]
Primary responsibility for coastal protection lies with the property owner, whether it be a private individual or a local authority. The Department of the Marine, under the Operational Programme for Environmental Services 1994-99, in support of local authorities will invest some £5.1 million in priority protection works around our coast. Twenty-five per-cent of this must be provided by local authorities.
To identify priority protection works for consideration under the programme, the Department of the Marine sought prioritised proposal for protection works from the coastal local authorities. Any works to be funded under the programme are required to show a positive cost benefit over their designed lifetime.
The total cost of the proposals submitted exceeds £25 million. Therefore, it will not be possible to undertake them all.
It is clear from the figures I mentioned that the present allocation is not adequate to meet our needs. I am reviewing how additional funds for coastal protection can be secured.
Present funding is particularly limited and securing additional funds will be difficult. In view of this, aid will be given only in circumstances in which the erosion problem has been fully studied. Too often in the past works have been undertaken to address the immediate problem without reference to long-term solutions. I am more interested in aiding works what will provide a long-term solution, if such is possible, and would like to see more investment by local authorities, in conjunction with my Department, in considering the long-term situation.
