Averil Power (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, to the House. As he is aware, last week the Committee of Public Accounts published a report into the six fishery harbour centres. On reading the report, I share the committee's concern that the harbours are managed properly and that the employment potential of our fishing, seafood processing, boat repair and other industries are maximised. The report gives a good account of the issues and challenges present and what the Department needs to do to address them.

I also support the recommendation that the Department improve its relationship with harbour users to ensure they genuinely engage with them, listen to their concerns, support people and work with them to maximise the potential of their businesses and ensure vacant properties are put to best use from commercial and community points of view.

I was very concerned about one of the report's recommendations, which is that the Department consider introducing paid parking in Howth. This is an issue about which I have written to the Minister, Deputy Coveney, on several occasions in the past since January 2013. I also tabled a Seanad debate on this two and a half years ago to highlight the very damaging impact that paid parking would have on Howth. I had hoped that as this has not been implemented in the intervening two and a half years, the Department had listened to the issues I had raised and the feedback from various stakeholders in Howth, looked at the fact that one in three local authority paid parking schemes loses money and had seen sense on this issue and was not going to proceed with it. I was very concerned to see the Committee of Public Accounts make this suggestion again last week.

I am also concerned the committee looked at it from a very narrow approach. It only considered the issue of paid parking from the perspective of the Department, and Howth as a fishery harbour. Howth is not just a fishery harbour. It is unique in that fishing is just one of the activities which takes place there. It is also a major tourism, sport, leisure and community resource. As a representative from the area, it has always frustrated me to see the harbour in the broader sense not utilised as well as it could be. One visits places on the Continent with half the natural resources and beauty of Howth which are used to full advantage where State authorities work with all stakeholders to ensure this happens, but in Howth there always seems to be a difficulty and a lack of ambition and support for local initiatives.

My concern about paid parking is activities such as tourism, local restaurants, marine leisure and walking are very dependent on the availability of free parking. Howth is not somewhere one pops into for an hour or two. It is difficult enough to reach. Unfortunately, our public transport connections are not great, and particularly at weekends there can be a 30 or 40 minute gap between DARTs. Unfortunately, if people want to get there, they need to be able to drive. People going for a walk do not know whether they will walk for two or four hours. When they get to the top of Howth Head, they do not want to be in a rush to go back to feed the meter. When they get to the top of the hill, they want to sit down and enjoy the view. It is the same when people go out on the water. If they are sailing, they are highly dependent on weather and do not know how long they will be. When they are out on the water, they cannot have the anxiety of being clamped.

Paid parking does not make sense in Howth. I appreciate it makes sense in areas where there is a shortage of parking, such as in Dublin city centre, and the only way to control it is to have a system which discourages people from constantly driving and taking up the limited number of spaces. In Malahide, local businesses sought paid parking because they had a concern about people parking all day from first thing in the morning, and anybody who wanted to go in and out of a local business during the day could not get a space. This is not the case in Howth, which has plenty of parking spaces. We do not have a shortage unless a major event is taking place, and we have one or two major events during the summer. This is the only time there is a shortage of spaces.

I have tabled this debate to highlight yet again the negative impact paid parking would have on Howth and I ask the Minister of State, who is representing the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to bring this message back to him.The issue needs to be considered in the round not just having regard to the narrow fisheries perspective from which the PAC viewed it. The Department must consider the fact that paid parking would put people off travelling out to the area to shop, eat in restaurants, go walking and take part in sports activities. Any economic analysis must take account of the loss to the broader local economy and the impact on jobs and not just the fisheries aspect.

I reiterate the call I have made previously in the House for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Fingal County Council and tourism and other major Government agencies with an interest in Howth to work together to maximise its potential from a fishing and employment point of view, but also from a tourism and community resource perspective. That is badly needed and I urge the Minister of State to bring that message back to the Minister.