John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for attending. The flooding in the past week or ten days has caused problems in every county, including Wexford. Courtown Harbour and Marshmeadows in New Ross have both been affected. We are dealing today with Courtown Harbour. The Courtown Harbour and Pier Association has been in touch with me about the problems caused by storms in recent weeks. It states the pier at the back strand and boulders have been swept into the channel and that silting has occurred at the entrance, with the result that fishermen cannot put out to sea. As the Minister will be aware, coming from the south-east, Courtown is very dependent on tourism and fishing. In recent years, despite repeated requests and efforts by Wexford County Council to secure funding to upgrade the harbour at Courtown, nothing has happened to date. Numerous surveys have been carried out, the latest of which was by a company called Malachy Walsh & Partners Consulting Engineers. It proposed solutions, but solutions cannot be effected unless there is sufficient money available.

The piers are in a dangerous state of disrepair and there are massive holes where the concrete facing on the front of both piers has fallen off. The pylons are rusted and some have fallen off. At one stage, some of them were sticking out at the mouth of the harbour, causing problems for fishermen trying to gain access. A large hole appeared in the south pier recently, with the result that seawater from the back beach was flowing through into the channel. The storm caused massive damage to the coastline and it is a miracle that the piers are still standing.

As I stated, countless surveys have been carried out of the piers, but no recommendation has been implemented. There have been numerous meetings and numerous Ministers have visited - Mr. Seán Kelly, MEP, visited recently - but the locals believe they are being fobbed off and not getting any concrete answer or funding to solve the problem.

As well as being a fishing harbour with five fishing trawlers, the harbour depends very much on tourism. There are leisure boats and yachts. Many other types of boat use the harbour regularly. However, because of the silting they are unable to gain access. The yachting club made an application to Wexford County Council to drain the harbour to carry out some necessary works, but it seems this did not happen because the club was told it could not do so for health and safety reasons. The club was willing to put up half the money, which would have benefited all the people using the harbour. Perhaps the Minister of State will respond on how this problem can be addressed. If organisations are prepared to put up money, surely the Government and the council should reciprocate by putting forward money.

As the Minister of State knows, fishermen are very dependent on the weather. In recent years, however, even when the weather was good, they have been unable to gain access to the sea to fish because of the silting of the harbour. Whelk fishing is very important to Courtown Harbour, but, as I stated, the fishermen are finding it very difficult to fish.

I thank the Minister of State for attending. I ask him to have discussions with Wexford County Council which I am sure will be only too willing to propose a solution if he can find the necessary money to put it into effect. I ask him to consider making funding available as soon as possible.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is responsible for six fishery harbour centres located in Howth, Dunmore East, Castletownbere, Dingle, Rossaveel and Killybegs. The centres provide essential services and facilities for the fishing industry around the coastline.

The Department also has responsibility for North Harbour at Cape Clear Island and for maintaining a range of small harbours, piers, lights and beacons around the coast, in accordance with the 1902 Act.

Repairs to local authority-owned piers and harbours and other coastal defences remain, in the first instance, the responsibility of the relevant local authority. Courtown Harbour is therefore the responsibility of Wexford County Council. That said, myself and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, are acutely aware of the ferocity of the recent storms combined with the exceptionally high tides which have resulted in widespread damage to vital public infrastructure including various small local authority piers and harbours and various navigational lights and beacons around the coast. We are also concerned, in particular, at the impact this damage may have on our fishing industry.

The Minister is working closely with his Cabinet colleagues in evaluating the overall extent of the damage. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine is represented on the National Co-ordination Group on Severe Weather, convened to assess the impact of the storms on infrastructure and communities and to ensure a co-ordinated response by the relevant local authorities, Departments and agencies. The Government is anxious to deal with the totality of the impact of the storms and has asked local authorities to assess the damage in their areas and revert with their reports as soon as possible to enable a fully informed and co-ordinated response to the damage to our coastal communities as a result of the exceptionally bad storms. However, even now it is hard to completely determine the full extent of the damage. Inspections will have to continue when there are more favourable tides, to check the lower structural sections of some harbours. It should be noted that weather and tidal conditions over the coming days may not make things any easier.

The Minister will continue to assess the damage reports and the estimates of the cost of repair and expects a full and complete damage evaluation over the next few weeks. That information will be fed into the Government's overall consideration of the appropriate course of action. The Minister fully expects his Department to have a prominent role in the Government's co-ordinated response. He is confident that the damage caused to critical pier and harbour infrastructure can be addressed as comprehensively and quickly as possible and that the Department will play its part along with all other relevant Departments, local authorities and agencies to achieve this objective.

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply but it does not signal any great hope for Courttown Harbour. I ask the Minister of State to consider visiting the harbour himself to see the current situation there. Courttown Harbour is not an issue just because of the recent storms. Problems have been ongoing at the harbour for the last two or three years because of silting. While I accept that this is chiefly a matter for Wexford County Council, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine allocates some funding for small harbours and piers and I believe it is important that some funding be provided through that scheme. I ask the Minister of State to visit Courttown Harbour and to pass on a request to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan and the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Hayes, to visit Marshmeadows in New Ross, where 500 people are currently employed. It is completely under water, causing grave concern in the area. A number of companies are located there, employing 500 people between them. Marshmeadows is very important to the economy of New Ross.

I ask that when the Minister of State is visiting Courtown Harbour he would bring some money with him for Wexford County Council to enable it to solve the problem there. As I said, the yacht club is prepared to put up half the money so I ask for a quid pro quo on that.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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On the question of a visit by me or anybody else, I would not like to hype expectations in the area. The Cabinet discussed this matter yesterday. Local authorities have been asked to submit estimates on the cost of the damage done along the coast. I am very pleased to hear that an organisation in Deputy Browne's locality is prepared to put up some finance of its own to address the problem at Courtown Harbour. That should feed into the process involving the local authorities and I would be hopeful that the problem will be resolved.

The Government is fully aware of the problems in this regard. Deputy Hayes, who has responsibility for the OPW, has visited Limerick and Clare already. I will certainly ask that at least one Minister or Minister of State would visit Wexford and see the situation there at first hand.