Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this important matter. Kilrush Creek Marina has been an integral part of the economic life of the town of Kilrush for some time. Unfortunately, however, its potential has been untapped in terms of the extent to which it could provide significant employment and increased economic activity in the region.

Much of its unrealised potential results from the poor state of the infrastructure. It is owned and controlled by Shannon Development but, over the last number of years, it has not had the necessary type of investment in the basic infrastructure. First, the access channel is well below what it should be. It is too shallow to accommodate certain types of pleasure craft. There is a requirement to spend money on dredging the channel. It is known within the boating fraternity that the channel is silted up with sediment and is not as safe to access as it should be based on the mapping charts of the area. Considerable work is required there.

The marina gates, which are used to control the water levels in the marina versus the ebb and flow of the tide, are in very poor condition. From a safety point of view they require considerable investment. The marina pontoons are also in poor condition. I inspected them quite recently and it is clear they are not up to even a basic standard from a health and safety point of view. Considerable investment is also needed in that regard.

A boatyard is part of the facility.

There is some interest in reactivating boat building at some level in the yard, which would provide much-needed employment in the region, but no investment has been forthcoming. All of this revolves around the destruction of Shannon Development by the Government. Unfortunately, the Government has dispensed with the duties of Shannon Development and there is nothing left but a shell. The expectation is that Shannon Development will be amalgamated in the very near future. The Government has yet to publish legislation on amalgamating the assets of Shannon Development with those of the Shannon Airport Authority.

It is clear that there is a considerable gulf between owning a marina and operating an airport. For this reason, I appeal to the Government to expedite the disposal, if possible, of the marina. I know there has been interest among third parties and an effort has been made to dispose of the marina. In advance of its disposal to a private consortium, or whoever else, there should be an allocation of capital to ensure the basic infrastructure is upgraded in order that whatever future ownership model is put in place the facility will be fit for purpose and have the capacity once again to drive economic and tourism activity and fulfil the mandate provided by the initial decision to invest in the region. It is heartbreaking to see such fine infrastructure left to deteriorate on the verge of the Atlantic where it provides access to the boating community, tourist and an array of economic activities, including boat repairs and boat building, which would provide much-needed employment in a region of the county which needs this level of investment and access to employment and which certainly needs to be the focus of Government's attention.

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