Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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8. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details of future tendering processes for properties at Howth fishery harbour in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26075/15]

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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This question is about the tendering process at Howth fishery harbour and the other five fishery harbours. Will the Minister also comment on the report produced recently by the Committee of Public Accounts on the underutilisation of assets at the fishery harbours?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The property portfolio in Howth, one of six fishery harbour centres managed and operated by the Department, encompasses a range of diverse properties reflecting its remit as a working fishery harbour and its unique features which facilitate a broad range of other diverse activities which are important from both an economic and social perspective. The Department’s aim, working within the Government framework for the management of State property and relevant legal frameworks, is to ensure the sites within this diverse portfolio generate a competitive economic return while fostering a diverse range of maritime activities. In this context the Department reviews the portfolio of properties on an ongoing basis to maximise these returns to the Exchequer.

Some properties in Howth Fishery Harbour Centre may appear vacant. However they can be, and in many cases are, subject to tenancy arrangements. At present eight vacant properties in Howth are not subject to existing tenancy arrangements. Of these, two were made available by competitive public tender on 15 of June and details of the competitions can be viewed on the Department’s website. A further two properties are subject to legal, operational or planning considerations and cannot be made available for tenancy until these issues are resolved. These issues are being progressed and, when appropriate, further tender competitions will be publicly advertised. The remaining four properties are not considered suitable for tender at present.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his response. No doubt he is very familiar with Howth as he has visited it on many occasions. It is a source of frustration for Deputy Broughan and I as local Deputies that business owners come to us on a constant basis expressing interest in some of the vacant properties. In some of the properties materials are being stored by the Department so they are not being run on a commercial basis. If the Department is not able or capable of utilising and ensuring the taxpayers gets bang for their buck it needs to hand over the properties to a commercial auctioneer who will look after them and ensure they are properly put out to tender. There are major concerns. The Committee on Public Accounts has visited Howth. The Chairman, Deputy John McGuinness, in particular was hugely critical of the underutilisation of resources. Much more needs to be done to ensure they are used to full capacity. There is huge potential for job creation. Howth is at the end of the DART line and is one of the most scenic areas in the city. More needs to be done.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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More is being done.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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It is not.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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More than the Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts has commented on this. The committee chose to visit Howth, which it is entitled to do, and was shown around by people who have an interest in these properties and are looking to get access to them. The Department had an opportunity on 20 May to respond the committee's draft report on the financial management of the fishery harbour centres. The approach of the committee changed after that response. The Deputy knows some of the people advocating for properties to be made available to them in Howth have a history with the Department in terms of complex tenancy arrangements.

In some cases, rent has not been paid.

We have a responsibility to do a number of things. We have a responsibility to Howth to ensure a proper fisheries harbour is run there and the management of it is professional, well-run and in the interest of the local community. We also have an obligation to ensure we run our fisheries harbours in a commercial manner in order that we can pay for their upkeep and I can invest in places like Howth. We are being asked to invest there all the time and we have made considerable investment in recent years. This matter is not a simple one. There are reasons certain properties have not been made available. The ones that are ready for tenancy are being put out to competitive tender. We will look to get those tenancy arrangements in place in a fair, transparent and competitive way as soon as we can.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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There has been criticism of the Department for not keeping proper accounts and an up-to-date financial management system. There has been criticism as well that proper dispute resolution mechanisms are not in place. The people on the ground and business owners are saying they are not happy with the decision-making and the fact that much of it is being done in Clonakilty. There is a lack of face-to-face accountability in decision-making. There are also long delays in getting letters answered. The harbour users forum is considered a box-ticking exercise. Perhaps some of the criticism is invalid but that is what Deputy Broughan and I, as local Deputies, are hearing on the ground. We are here to articulate those criticisms to the Minister and to ask him to ensure any bureaucracy and red tape is put to bed and more jobs are created in Howth. That is the bottom line and that is what we are looking for.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We are looking for that too but we have to ensure the tenants will be people who will pay their rent and will have accessed the tenancy arrangements under a fair and transparent competitive process. We need to ensure we have businesses that are in the interests of the broader community, in terms of development and employment in Howth, which, of course, we need to do. That takes time. We are managing six fisheries harbours at the same time. There are problems in terms of tenancies in properties in some of those harbours - some more than others. We have spoken about this matter before and I am conscious there are valuable vacant properties in Howth. They should be busy places of commercial activity and we need to get to that point. We need to be careful about how we do that and we need to ensure the people who are the successful tenants in those facilities are people who will pay their rent. That is not an unreasonable ask.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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No, it is not.