John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important issue. I am delighted to have the opportunity to address the House on the issue of Dún Laoghaire harbour and its future development. He is correct to say that we should focus on the future at this stage.

The Senator referred to the document entitled National Ports Policy 2013 when he mentioned the time the Taoiseach was the Minister for Transport. The policy provides for the transfer of certain ports to the relevant local authorities that they are located in and sets out the arrangements for giving effect to this. In that context, the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company transferred to the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on 3 October 2018, in accordance with Part 3 of the Harbours Act 2015, which provides, inter alia, for the dissolution of the port company and the transfer of its assets, liabilities and rights to the council.

The Harbours Act 2015 requires that the council presents final accounts for the former harbour company, which the Senator outlined, to the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government within six months of the date of dissolution. Again, as the Senator pointed out, that time has passed. It has taken longer than stipulated to finalise the accounts for the period 1 January 2017 to 2 October 2018 due to a technical legal issue regarding audit and sign-off of the accounts. I understand that the council will present the accounts to me before the end of the year. I will then lay the accounts before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

The Department has a prudential role with regard to the financial integrity of all local authorities and to ensure that local authorities' finances, as far as is practicable, are on a sustainable footing. In that regard, it is my Department's position that in the case of all port transfers, the relevant local authority should not be unduly encumbered or exposed to financial risk by the effective transfer of a commercial body to its control. As I said at the time, and reiterate here, there can be no question of all the costs falling on the local authority in question, which is Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

I understand that due diligence undertaken by the council prior to the transfer had estimated that remedial works costing in excess of €33 million could be required if the port was to be brought to a standard to accommodate commercial shipping. However, a smaller infrastructural deficit of €10 million applies in the event that upgrading and maintenance for just recreational and amenity use needed to be addressed over a number of years.

It should be noted that Dún Laoghaire harbour is a substantial strategic asset and amenity, and a local and national one as pointed out by the Senator, which, notwithstanding its ongoing expenditure requirements, also generates income from a number of sources that can be directed towards investment needs. The Senators is aware of the latter from his own time as a member of the county council.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is currently working on an economic plan for the harbour. While central government responsibility for ports policy and associated issues remains a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I am anxious to see local authorities realising the potential of their assets, on a sustainable basis, in the context of Project Ireland 2040. In that context, I look forward to seeing proposals from the council on the future development of this key strategic asset. The Senator is right to point out that there will be other Departments under the aegis of Project Ireland 2040 from which funding can be sourced. First, the final accounts must be presented. Then it is a matter for the council to bring forward its proposals on regeneration works for necessary regeneration and also for further economic development of the port and the port's lands into the future.