John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Moran has listed off the amount of money that has been invested into Dunmore East since 2006. I have the figures in front of me for the period 2008 to 2013 and the total in that period was €4.76 million. If I went to the other five ports and fishery harbour centres, I would probably find that the equivalent amount went into them. That is fine. When it came to the slipway in the west wharf, the level of effort and lobbying I had to do to get that money, €450,000, to extend the slipway was incredible. Dunmore East is a neglected port and has been for a long time. There is a litany of reports but no action was taken as a result, which is absolutely incredible.
I am going to chase the officials on this project for as long as it takes to get the dredging done. There comes a point when one cannot answer reasonable questions from a fisherman or a businessman in Dunmore East. It has come to the point that I have become hesitant about giving affirmation to any Government announcement as it affects Dunmore East, which is an unfortunate situation to be put in.
Not so long ago, we were talking about investing €60 million in the harbour and the studies were done. The business community in Dunmore East is very resilient. The Waterford Institute of Technology has secured funding under the fisheries local area development scheme for feasibility studies of ideas that would stimulate job creation and economic activity in Dunmore East. The deficit has been on the Government side. The people of Dunmore East are trying to keep this village vibrant. There was a meeting last night about all of the issues. The Department has to focus on the infrastructural issues that have been identified ad nauseam for the past 20 years in Dunmore East but have not been acted upon.
I have made the case. It is not a personal criticism, but there is a case to be answered with regard to Dunmore East.