Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)

Táim fíor-bhuíoch do Oifig an Cheann Chomhairle as ucht an seans a thabhairt dom an t-ábhar seo a phlé. Is onóir mhór dom bheith i mo Theachta Dála ar son mhuintir Chiarraí Theas. Tá mé fíor-bhuíoch do mhuintir Chiarraí Theas as an tacaíocht iontach a fuair mé san olltoghchán. Déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall ar son mhuintir Chiarraí agus ar son mhuintir na hÉireann ar fad.

I also congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, on his recent appointment. I am sure he will do an excellent job in his new position. The issue I raise is of great importance to local fishermen in west Kerry who are being burdened with unreasonable charges for using Dingle Harbour. The charges arise from the recent implementation of the Fisheries Harbours Centres (Rates and Charges) Order 2003. Of particular and immediate concern to a number of fishermen is charge No. 7, which relates to the use of a harbour by vessels not registered or licensed or deregistered hulks and derelicts.

One fisherman to whom I spoke recently has a vessel berthed at Dingle pier while he tries to sell it. The vessel was his only way of making a living for many years until salmon fishing ceased in 2007. Built in 1974, the vessel is perfectly seaworthy but between €10,000 and €12,000 would be required to bring it up to the required code of practice standard. As the vessel is not worth even the lower of these amounts, the owner decided to buy a new, smaller vessel and transfer the licence.

Since 1 January 2011, the owner has been incurring charges from the harbour board for having the older vessel berthed at Dingle pier. Thus far, these charges, which are solely for having the vessel berthed, have amounted to more than €3,000, a figure that will increase by €500 per week for as long as the vessel remains at the pier. Surely this is unjust given that the individuals in question have suffered a substantial loss in income in recent years.

I am informed that four fishermen who are trying to sell vessels berthed in Dingle are in a similar position to the fisherman whose case I outlined. They cannot move their vessels elsewhere as it would give rise to serious health and safety issues. If, for instance, they decided to move them to nearby facilities such as those at Ballydavid, they would have to berth the vessels at sea, which would present major difficulties during rough weather and storms.

This is a pressing problem for the fishermen in question because none of them can afford to pay the relatively large sums of money required to resolve the problem. Moreover, charges for vessels of more than 20 m can rise to more than €1,000 per week. I call on the Minister to review the current position to ensure that people who genuinely do not have any option other than to leave their vessels at Dingle pier will be shown some leeway.

There is also a problem with water and refuse charges at the harbour. I am advised that there is a mandatory annual water charge of €360 for those using the pier, although there is no tap there. Water is only accessible through calling an attendant at a charge of €25 per call-out. Local fishermen generally bring their own bottled water on board, yet they must still pay this charge. I am also advised that fishermen must pay a refuse charge of €480 per annum even though there is no facility for them at Dingle pier to dispose of rubbish. The fishermen in Dingle tell me that they bring their rubbish home, yet they must still pay the change. This does not seem like a fair system and surely it warrants review.

To add insult to injury, fishermen were recently issued with letters from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine informing them that those in arrears would be at the mercy of debt collectors from now on. This is an insult to the honest, hard-working fishermen in west Kerry. These charges are also an issue at other fishery harbour centres around our coasts, namely Killybegs, Castletownbere, Skerries, Rossaveal and Dunmore East.

While the figures I have mentioned are relatively small in the overall scheme of things, it is an enormous amount of money for the individuals involved. One man to whom I spoke recently told me he is having difficulty sleeping at night while charges continue to accrue concerning his vessel at Dingle pier. I ask the Minister of State to give this matter his urgent attention in order to resolve it.

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