Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)

I wish the Minister of State well in his role. I thank him for coming to the Seanad to provide his statement and listen to contributions from Members.

I am certainly not an expert in this area. I will defer to colleagues like Senator Manus Boyle with his interest and work in this area over a long number of years. What I have heard from fishing communities over many years, and the Minister of State will have heard this himself, is that we were sold out in 1973, that the small fishermen have been sidelined, that the share is in the control of a small few, that EU super-trawlers are doing huge damage to our waters and that there is too much regulation and prosecution, especially for small fishers. This is what I have heard up and down coastal communities over the years. It will be difficult to change or alter that path because we cannot change history. All we can do is try to chart a new path forward that will assist coastal communities as well as the smaller guy. I think most of us want to try to fight for the smaller guy, their concerns and the over-regulation that they feel, in many cases justly, that they are subject to. I acknowledge the Minister of State's visits to Ros an Mhíl. I attended with him recently for a tour of the harbour and a tour of the new deepwater pier. I pay tribute to his predecessor Deputy Charlie McConalogue for investing in that project. Planning permission was extended a couple of times, which allowed the project to be commenced. Issues have arisen since, which are now the subject of a requirement to initiate a new planning application for what has been completed and planned. It relates to the timelines involved. I hope the Department will engage to ensure it is dealt with in good time. It is important that the existing investment by the State b protected and the project be completed.

I also want to raise Cleggan pier. Some work was done in the late 2000s on options and plans for future development. Cleggan is the gateway to Inishbofin and a fishing harbour in its own right. It also has huge potential as a sheltered harbour between Killybegs and Ros an Mhíl on the west coast. There are asks there that will require investment. Some of them are small and could be done through funding applications by Galway County Council to the Department. Others are larger in scale and would require more substantial funding for Cleggan. The potential is there. There has been very little investment in the pier over the past 80 or 90 years. It is a strategic asset and it is important from a transport perspective as it serves Inishbofin. I ask the Minister of State to keep it on his radar. I hope that at a future date he can visit and have a look at what is there and be open to engaging with Galway County Council to progress the plans. I do not suggest things can be done quickly; I understand how these things work. However, I hope the Department will engage with the council to discuss improving facilities, such as lengthening the pier, lifting the slipway and other works in the vicinity of Cleggan. If these works took place, it would be a huge benefit to the community from a number of perspectives, including fishing, tourism and access to Inishbofin. I thank the Minister of State for coming in.