Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this very important issue. Howth Fishery Harbour Centre is one of the six designated fishery harbour centres, which are owned, managed and maintained by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. All six fishery harbour centres are first and foremost working fishery harbours. However, each centre has unique features which facilitate a broad range of other diverse activities, including the ones the Senator outlined, which are important from both an economic and social perspective. The Department is conscious of the importance of both fishing and non-fishing activities at the harbours and endeavours to facilitate and develop both. This involves day to day operational support by harbour staff and management and development and repair of infrastructure, subject to available financial resources.

Howth Fishery Harbour Centre is no exception to this diversity. In addition to fishing, there is a wide range of recreational users of the harbour, including the yacht club, sport fishermen, walkers, tourists and other social users. There are a significant number of businesses, especially restaurants, operating in the harbour centre. Notwithstanding the prevailing economic environment in which we operate, I am happy to be able to advise that in excess of €3.2 million has been invested in maintenance, development and upgrading works at Howth as part of the Department's fishery harbour and coastal infrastructure development programme from 2011 to 2013. This investment will result in a significant improvement in the traffic management system, the access available to persons of reduced mobility and the electrical infrastructure available. It will, in addition, serve to act as a catalyst for the enhancement of facilities available to the marine leisure and tourism sector, boat repair facilities and business generally in the harbour.

The Minister, Deputy Coveney, approved funding of €1.18 million in March 2014 for the maintenance and development of Howth Fishery Harbour Centre. Major works for 2014 include the continued upgrading of the electrical system. The development and upkeep of Howth as a state of the art fishery harbour centre supporting a broad range of marine related and other activities is, and will remain, an ongoing process. Any suggestions from fishery harbour users for the development and improvement of the facilities at Howth will, as has been the case, be given due consideration. The Burke-Mclver report was commissioned some years ago to provide a roadmap for future development of the harbours. All the recommendations in the report that were implementable in the prevailing economic climate were subsequently introduced.

The Senator raised the issue of working with the stakeholders. We are already doing this and have been doing it for some time. My Department has established a harbour users forum for Howth. The forum is a broadly based initiative which is open to all stakeholders to participate in. It met most recently in January this year and will, I expect, meet again very early in the new year. This forum, like similar fora in each of the harbours, provides an excellent platform for sharing ideas and obtaining stakeholder feedback, which ultimately helps inform decisions on the future developments in the harbour. In addition, the Department's officials are available to meet harbour users collectively or individually as the need arises.

As I have said, Howth Fishery Harbour Centre is first and foremost a working fishery harbour. The Department is conscious that it is also a very important tourist destination in addition to being a major venue for leisure activities. With that in mind, the Department is anxious to increase the profile of the harbour for the betterment of the wider community in line with the Senator's request. To this end, the harbour regularly approves applications for events, yacht races, local celebrations and various functions within the harbour precincts. For example, in July 2014, the Asgard centennial celebrations were held at Howth Harbour, with the keynote address delivered by President Higgins. It is estimated that this event alone attracted in excess of 25,000 visitors to the harbour. In addition, the Department approved locating the Howth tourism information office within the confines of Howth Fishery Harbour Centre. This facility opened in July this year.

Balancing the needs of the fishing industry with those of the wider range of harbour users while delivering on a public service remit will be foremost when considering future developments in the harbour. Any new developments will be done on the basis of available Exchequer funding and competing national priorities. I assure the Senator that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is fully aware of the situation, wants to help and will. I can pass on the Senator's invitation to visit the area to the Minister and I know he will do it because he is very favourably disposed towards everything that is happening in Howth.