Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is probably in line with what we have been receiving. The clarity in his response is very limited. In particular, we cannot even find the owner of a ship wreck. That is probably the position currently in County Cork. This is a legacy issue. We have had ship wrecks onshore for decades with no movement to remove them. That is the primary issue. Legislation, debate and a change in ethos on this issue in Government Buildings are needed. The Government view on this is that the vessel is doing no harm and to leave it there. We have moved away from that. If there were abandoned cars in every estate in Ireland we would do something about it. The issue I raised is a feature in our harbours and there does not seem to be any drive from national Government to do something about it. We need to empower local authorities financially and to change the legislation. We need to take on board the 2007 convention that has not been enacted and that needs to be brought forward. A body of work needs to be done. Otherwise, this blight on our marine wildlife and environment will continue due to a lack of clarity and action on this issue on the part of the Government.