Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for attending today. I want to speak about an urgent, developing situation at Keelbeg Pier in Union Hall in my constituency. Union Hall is a picturesque, beautiful village between Skibbereen and Clonakilty. Keelbeg Pier is the local pier in Union Hall. It would help if I described the pier because I do not expect that the Minister would have been there before, but hopefully he may visit in the future.

8 o’clock

On the issue with the pier, Cork County Council is the foremost authority there and is, essentially, shoehorning the installation of a barrier that gives access onto the pier. This barrier will prove disastrous for residents and for most of the pier users in Union Hall.

I shall describe the pier. It is a fantastic facility. It mainly facilitates the fishing community in Union Hall and it is a very important aspect of the activity happening in Union Hall. There is a very vibrant fishing community there. The pier also facilitates many leisure users. The local rowing club uses the slipway, which is also used by the RNLI and other users. There is a beach too. The pier is a fantastic facility. To the west end of the pier is the slipway and to the east end of the pier is the access to the beach used by local residents and by holidaymakers to Union Hall. It is a very popular holiday destination. I hope this gives an outline of how the pier works and the very important facility and amenity it is.

Here is the problem, however. With the installation of the barrier, the people most impacted will be the residents. Adjacent to the pier is a public road. Fronting on to that public road is a row of residential houses. The big issue is that the front doors of these residential houses come straight onto the road. There is not even a footpath between the front doors of the houses and the road. Essentially, these people must cross a road to use a footpath. By installing the barrier on Union Hall pier the local authority will be creating a funnel effect whereby traffic that wishes to access the local beach, which is very popular, will be funnelled one way. Currently the beach users or pier users can use both accesses, which is a one way system. They can also use parking on the pier and this is a very important issue to remember. If installed, this barrier will create an absolute logjam. This is a cul-de-sac where people will be making efforts to turn. It will create mayhem.

There is huge political opposition to the installation of this barrier. The residents are very concerned. Cork County Council, the local authority, says the barrier installation is required from a health a safety point of view. Council staff did visit the pier and they have come up with an alternative solution that suits all, including residents, leisure users and so on. I ask the Minister to trust me that if this barrier is installed it will create an even bigger health and safety nightmare. I am asking for the Minister to reach out to the local authority. I am aware that it is the local authority's remit but the funding for this barrier is under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Minister's Department. I ask that the Minister would reach out to the local authority to ask them at least to pause the installation of the barrier until residents and all stakeholders have been liaised with.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this matter and for his contact over the past days. As the Deputy has said, the pier in Union Hall is owned by Cork County Council and responsibility for its operation, maintenance and development lies with Cork County Council and its parent Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I have, therefore, no direct remit in this regard.

As part of our annual fishery, harbour and coastal infrastructure development programme my Department provides limited funding to assist coastal local authorities in carrying out small-scale projects for the development and repair of piers, harbours and slipways in their ownership. Funding of €3.1 million was approved for the local authority element of my Department's 2020 fishery, harbour and coastal infrastructure development programme. Cork County Council secured €394,500 for 13 projects under this years' programme. As Deputy O'Sullivan said, one of those projects under the programme was safety improvement works at Union Hall pier. One of the safety measures proposed by Cork County Council involved the installation of a physical barrier at the pier. The council has said the barrier is required to highlight to the public they are entering a working pier and in the council's view there is currently no means of controlling access to the working pier in times of emergencies or during high risk conditions. The application complied with the terms and conditions of my Department's local authority scheme and it was deemed eligible for funding. Any queries in relation to the barrier are a matter for Cork County Council. I do know, however, from the Deputy's contact, that alternative proposals have been laid and I will certainly inquire from Cork County Council as to why it is not possible to proceed with those alternatives. I will revert to the Deputy.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am asking the Minister for a bit of compromise and a bit of consultation. I appreciate that it is a Cork County Council pier, but as I stated, it is the Minister's Department's funding. I ask that at the very least the Minister would reach out to the council chief executive or to the western division manager, whoever it may be, to pause the works until consultation happens and we get some compromise. There are some very good viable alternatives that would separate the commercial aspect of the pier, which we understand needs to happen, and would also allow for use of the leisure aspect, most importantly the slipway. The residents who are most impacted are the important factor. I am not sure how much time I have left to speak as the clock is not there. Have I got one minute left?

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Yes.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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While I am on the subject of piers I will take the opportunity to raise the issue of Dinish pier, which is also in my constituency in Castletownbere. The Minister will be very familiar with it given that fishing is in the Minister's remit. A €20 million extension is under way at the Dinish wharf to allow for larger hauls of fish and so on. It will be a significant improvement but there are fears about the works, including that they may have been paused and that the contractor has not been seen on the site in a while, from what information I have. Will the Minister clarify that? There are smaller contractors there who are concerned that the works have been stopped. They are worried about the future and whether they will have a position when that pier is extended. The most urgent question is whether the extension will proceed.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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On Union Hall pier, my Department has no specific remit on the matter but we will reach out to Cork County Council given the case the Deputy has made to me over a number of days to ascertain the viability of those alternatives.

With regard to Dinish pier, my Department is engaging with the company and much discussion is under way. I am anxious to see the project proceed. I will take the Deputy up on his invitation to visit that part of the country as early as I can to see the facilities for myself and to meet the various operators. I met with the various fish processors and fishermen's organisations yesterday. Marine is very much part of my brief and I look forward to engaging with the Deputy's community about marine issues.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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The Minister might call at Tipperary when he is passing through.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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There are no marine piers in Tipperary.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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We will organise something.