Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Byrne for raising this matter. I hope he will excuse me for taking it in the unavoidable absence of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. However, I am particularly pleased to take it because, as the Senator has rightly pointed out, it is a part of the world I know well and the station serves a part of the world I represent in Dáil Éireann. I am therefore pleased to have an opportunity to provide a further update on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan.As Senator Malcolm Byrne rightly says, this is an issue he has rightly raised on many occasions. He raised it formally in the House with the Minister of State at the Department of Transport earlier this year.

The Irish Coast Guard, a division of the Department of Transport, has 44 units based in 58 Coast Guard stations across the country. The Coast Guard building programme, which includes the provision of new or upgraded facilities at a number of locations across the country, is managed by the OPW on behalf of the Department of Transport, from planning and design to build and ongoing maintenance. The projects are funded by the Department of Transport, but the OPW provides advice and assistance on the design of such projects, site feasibility studies, acquisition of sites from the local authority or others, planning and detailed design, and manages the delivery in line with the requirements of the Department of Transport and Coast Guard service.

New accommodation for the Courtown Coast Guard unit is included as one of the key priorities on this delivery programme. As the Senator rightly indicated, it is recognised by all - including by the Government from the point of view of funding - that this is a priority matter that must be addressed. Courtown Coast Guard station is a single-room limestone building originally designed for the storage of rescue equipment. As the Senator Byrne, it is situated at a busy intersection of three roads and has no available off-road area for parking. The OPW has carried out some minor remedial works to the building in the past in order to provide dry storage and office space, and to address essential health and safety issues. The building works alleviated some of the problems, but the view of the Government and the OPW is that use of the facility in its current form is unsustainable. As the current site is only slightly larger than the building footprint and is bordered to the rear by a steep river gully, there is very limited capacity to provide for any expansion or upgraded facility.

I assure the Senator that since this matter was last raised the OPW has continued to liaise intensively with the Irish Coast Guard to progress a proposed new location for the Coast Guard station at Courtown. I have been informed that a detailed business case and brief of requirements for a site has been submitted to the OPW by the Coast Guard. As the Senator outlined, a meeting and site visits took place in Courtown in July to view potential sites, visit current facilities, meet with the local Coast Guard officials and volunteers and ensure there was a full understanding of the exact requirements for the new facility across the various players and actors involved.

As outlined previously, a number of potential sites in the ownership of the local authority had been put forward by the Coast Guard, however these sites are now no longer available. The OPW is investigating all potential options and in particular any State owned or similarly vested lands in the area that may meet requirements. Officials from the OPW are currently completing a formal site identification process, including required appraisals, to ensure the acquisition process is completed in line with the public spending code, PSC, and all options, including those identified by the Irish Coast Guard, will be assessed. Once a suitable site is identified, negotiations will progress without delay on the acquisition of the site and moving the project forward.

While I understand that the Senator would, on behalf of the people he represents, want to know the commencement date for the start of the construction, which is what everyone wants to know, I am not in a position to provide the information today but I assure him that the OPW officials are giving this project every priority possible at this time. They are working very closely with colleagues in the Department of Transport to deliver on the Coast Guard programme. The OPW has asked me to assure the Senator that he will be directly updated as soon as significant progress is made on the site acquisition.