Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)

I wish to share time with Deputy Glennon. I am pleased to have the opportunity to raise in the House the condition of the harbours in north Fingal, namely, Balbriggan, Skerries, Loughshinny and Rush, and to demand that the Minister of State provide the necessary Department funding to save the harbours, especially those in Balbriggan and Skerries which are in a deplorable condition.

Prior to June 2004, the Balbriggan and Skerries harbours were under the jurisdiction of the Dublin Port Company. Over the years the company neglected its obligations and failed to carry out ongoing inspections and maintenance of both harbours, which led to the structure of the harbours being undermined to the extent that they are dangerous and liable to fall into the Irish Sea. Without any consultation, the Dublin Port Company in 2004 advertised for interest in the purchase of the two harbours. Two working harbours of strategic importance to the towns of Balbriggan and Skerries representing an important amenity for the people of the two towns and the wider areas were to be privatised and sold off.

This proposal was unacceptable to the Labour Party in Fingal and other community-based organisations and a campaign was embarked upon to save our harbours. The Deputies from the constituency, the county manager and Dublin Port Company met the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to discuss the crisis. At the meeting, my constituency colleagues and I demanded that the harbours be retained in public ownership and that if the company were unwilling to meet the capital costs of reinstating the harbours, one of the Departments should come up with the necessary funding.

The Ministers unilaterally decided to transfer the harbours to Fingal County Council, which I welcomed. However, they failed to provide the finance necessary for the restoration. Following the transfer of responsibility to Fingal County Council, it commissioned a detailed structural survey of both harbours and also included the harbours at Rush and Loughshinny. Damage to the outer wall of the Balbriggan Harbour and the collapse of a portion of the west quay at Balbriggan occurred shortly after the transfer.

Based on the findings of the survey, in July 2004 the cost of the restoration was estimated at €2.96 million for Balbriggan, €1.025 million for Skerries, €15,000 for Rush and €45,000 for Loughshinny, giving an overall total of €3.88 million. Fingal County Council made an application for funding and received a paltry €235,000. In 2005 the initial survey found that, based on the information available at the time, Skerries Harbour, which has existed for hundreds of years, is generally in a poor condition. A recent report by Royal Haskoning to Fingal County Council has major implications for the harbour. For example the steel pilings of the newer section of the harbour have reached the end of their useful life. The council needs to assess whether it is economically viable to retain the harbour as a working one in view of the works required.

The company recently wrote a letter outlining its increasing concern about the structural viability of the extension of Skerries Harbour which may need to be closed pending the commencement of repairs. Arising from the recent studies, the cost will be an additional €733,000 for Skerries, bringing the total required for that harbour to €1.758 million and the total cost for the four harbours will be €4.75 million. Action is required. Fingal County Council and the people of Fingal cannot come up with this money nor should they, especially given the negligence of the Dublin Port Company in the past. Given the amenity value to north County Dublin, it is imperative that the Government comes up with the funding for these harbours.

See this speech in context