Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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62. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to Parliamentary Question No. 19 of 14 October 2021, the status of the development of Caladh Mór pier on Inis Meáin; the status of the development of the updated simulation by the National Maritime College of Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60119/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Baineann mo cheist le hInis Meáin agus an fhorbairt atá beartaithe ar an gcéibh ansin, sé sin, an Caladh Mór. Tá mé ag iarraidh stádas na forbartha sin a fháil amach. I am just seeking clarification on the proposed works on the Caladh Mór pier in Inis Meáin. It is the third phase of the development so I ask the Minister to be specific.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As she will be aware, Galway County Council is the body responsible for development of stage 3 of the Caladh Mór pier development on Inis Meáin. Users of the pier, including a number of State-subsidised ferry operators, have highlighted issues with capacity within the harbour, as well as with currents around the mouth of the harbour. As part of the preparatory works, the National Maritime College of Ireland, NMCI, was instructed by Galway County Council to develop a model simulation for the harbour, which will inform the business case options for the development. The NMCI hosted a group of islanders, ferry operators and officials at its facility in July for a demonstration of the initial iteration of the marine simulation. Following feedback from the various parties that attended the demonstration, the NMCI is furthering the development of the simulation. It is expected that the updated simulation will give a more precise and accurate overview of how the conditions at the pier affect the specific key vessels that use it. Galway County Council is in ongoing contact with the ferry and cargo operators to collate the technical specifications which the NMCI will use in its updated simulation. Once the NMCI has completed its work, Galway County Council will incorporate the findings into its draft business case. Following on from this, the Department will then be able to evaluate the next steps in the process, in line with the public spending code and available funding.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I am hoping that some day I will get an answer about the deadline for this project. This is the third phase for Inis Meáin. This has been going on for years and that is the exact same answer my colleagues got about it. I understand that, because maybe not much progress has been made. Can the Minister tell me what progress has been made on the work being done by the National Maritime College of Ireland? When will it be completed? Most important, what money will be allocated? Has money been put aside for this development?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I visited Inis Meáin during the summer and spoke to a number of the islanders. As the Deputy and I well know, sorting out a pier presents different challenges and everybody seems to have a different solution. The college has done the simulation and it is going back now to look at a number of other things that arose during those simulations. The parties have reviewed this and there is ongoing contact between the county council and the maritime college.

The Government is absolutely committed to a new pier. I agree with the Deputy that this has been going on for a long time. My officials are in contact with Galway County Council on a fortnightly basis. We have to get the business case but it has to be made by the county council before I can bring it any further. We are working with the local authority. In fairness, it is trying to find out what the best solution is here because, from my experience of the islands, one could find a solution but it might not be the right one. This simulation will give us more information on what needs to be done.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Cuirim fáilte go raibh an tAire ar an oileán. Is maith an rud é go bhfaca sí rudaí ar an talamh agus go bhfuil tuiscint níos fearr aici orthu. I welcome that the Minister was on the island and that she has a better understanding of the matter but neither she nor I are experts in this area. I appreciate that completely. This is very specific, especially as it goes back such a long time and the development has not been completed. When will the work of the maritime college in Cork be finished? Is the council working on a business case simultaneously or does it have to wait for the results of the college study to come back? When will we have both the business case and the results from the maritime college?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As I understand it, the National Maritime College of Ireland is developing a model simulation of the harbour on Inis Meáin and that will inform the business case options for the development. The business case will then be undertaken by Galway County Council, in consultation with the Department and in line with the public spending code and available funding. I was out there on the island. I saw it. I know what is happening there and I want to see the development move on. I know the Deputy wants to see this moving too and so do the other Deputies and Senators from the area because it is going on and on. There was work done on the pier but it was not right and now we have to get the proper job done. I am not an expert on the waves, tides and everything else but we are committed to doing this.