David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I welcome the fact that €800,000 was made available under the capital programme to extend and widen the slipway. The real issue is the €4 million necessary to dredge the harbour and dispose of the spoil material. I accept that the project must be conducted in an appropriate manner due to the presence of TBT.

The Minister of State acknowledged that there is a difficulty with the port's activity because it has been hampered by the need to dredge. Perhaps today is a good day to ask for €4 million. The funding would benefit the economy in two ways. First, there would be increased tourism, leading to greater numbers of people using pleasure crafts and so on. Second, a greater number of fishing vessels would use the harbour. Both improvements would mean that State would get back its €4 million investment very quickly. I appeal to the Minister to make the money available because the harbour at Dunmore and the wider economy will benefit from the investment.