Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister for his response in regard to the existing services for Tory. Obviously, a tender will issue for those services supported by the Department later in the year.

The key point I want to raise is that in 2018, before Deputy Calleary's time as Minister, there was a serious issue with the ferry in and out of Tory. As a result, the Government brought in a mediator and made Government proposals. One of those proposals is that a brand-new ferry that would be suitable for Tory Island would be built. Whoever operated the ferry was a matter for tender, but it would be built at a cost of €4 million and it would be delivered within three years. It is seven years on and that ferry is nowhere to be seen. It is nowhere in the planning stages. It is nowhere in the design stages. What we heard last year from the Minister's predecessor was that the Government is not actually moving ahead with that at the minute, that it is still committed to it but that the reason it is not moving ahead is it has to do works at Magheraroarty. The point I am making to the Minister is Magheraroarty is completely separate. The ferry service that the Minister outlined to the Dáil operates from Magheraroarty. A brand-new, state-of-the-art ferry can also operate from there. Is the Department committed to the proposal it put to the island community in 2018 to deliver that and will the Minister uncouple it from Magheraroarty and deliver on this project?

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