Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department administers the fishery harbour and coastal infrastructure capital development programme every year. Dunmore East fishery harbour centre is one of the six designated fishery harbour centres which are owned, managed and maintained by my Department and, as such, it receives funding annually on foot of the programme.

My Department continues to support the harbour's development with funding provided for maintenance, development and upgrading works each year. Indeed, expenditure under the programme for Dunmore East since 2007 has been in the order of €4 million. This is in recognition of the valuable contribution the harbour makes to the fishing industry as well as the local community in terms of the support the harbour infrastructure provides to the development of the tourism industry and the local economy generally.

Dunmore East fishery harbour centre provides a dedicated and essential service to our fishing fleet. Both local and visiting fishing vessels, including vessels of significant dimensions, avail of the harbour facilities at Dunmore East. I am happy to report the investment in Dunmore East fishery harbour centre in recent years is bearing fruit. Indeed, the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority's records indicate a year-on-year increase in fish landings in recent years.

My Department's officials host a harbour users' forum regularly and meet with local stakeholders and harbour users. This forum provides a platform for harbour users to air their views and gives my officials an opportunity to hear at first hand the concerns and suggestions of the people using the harbour facilities. As recently as July of this year, the Dunmore East tourism group, which plays an active part in the harbour users' group, formally complimented both the appearance of the harbour and the good work being done there by my Department.

The need for dredging works at the harbour has been recognised by my Department. Reports commissioned have indicated that 80% of the harbour sediment contains tributyltin, TBT. Unfortunately, the cost associated with the disposal of dredge is approximately €5 million. This is a figure we cannot afford immediately but I am conscious of the need to dredge the harbour. We are examining the best way of dealing with this as safely as we can given our budgetary constraints. The total harbours budget this year was €7 million and the cost of cleaning Dunmore East is €5 million. The Deputy can understand the difficulties I have.

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This represents a significant expenditure in the current economic environment and I can confirm that my Department's engineering division has engaged consultants to examine and report on a number of alternative options in terms of the structuring of the works and the outlay involved. I expect to have the report in early 2013 and will assess at that stage how best to proceed.

Future investment at Dunmore East and the five other fishery harbour centres will of course be considered each year in the context of available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities. In early 2013, I expect to be in a position to identify projects for inclusion under the 2013 fishery harbour and coastal infrastructure capital development programme at each of the six fishery harbour centres.

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