Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, to the House. He is well aware of the safety needs of the seafaring people in Buncrana because he has received questions and representations relating to it. He has signed off on the foreshore licence, which I welcome. I wish to put on record the work of the late Fine Gael Councillor, Mr. Jim Sheridan, who worked tirelessly and relentlessly on this issue, making representations to the Department and through Deputy Coveney.

On 10 February, Deputy Coveney submitted a question to which he received a reply to the effect that funding will depend on available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities. There are two parts to my question. Will the ministerial portfolio allow the facilitation of a ferry at an estimated cost of €110,000? The Minister will be aware, living on the coast, that the RNLI is a very proactive group. I do not need to emphasise the necessity for a launching pad for the new RNLI boat. It is a priority for the community and it has been lobbying through Mr. Liam McGee on a continual basis for the past 12 months.

One funding option is to provide only for the ferry crossing. This will be from Buncrana to Rathmullan. This will be a tourism project and will also facilitate the large movement of people within Donegal. The Flight of the Earls commemoration will take place in 2007 and the ferry must be an integral part of that project. There are two funding options. The option I seek is the facilitation of the ferry and the RNLI boat. The two must come together. Funding for one will not be good enough and will do an injustice to the efforts made, in a cross-party political fashion, at local authority level. The local authority, through its engineers, has made a huge contribution in terms of time, resources and expertise to try to get this project off the ground. It has worked tirelessly and relentlessly. As one of the few dual mandate holders, at a council meeting on Monday, I received the news that there will be a start-up date for the ferry.

Funding is the issue. The Minister is in a corner, but I believe he will use his good judgment. I am not here to make a party-political broadcast. What we are interested in here is the good of Donegal. Representations have been made by both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. I ask the Minister to heed members of his party in Donegal. I speak on behalf of Fine Gael, as did the late Councillor Jim Sheridan. We need the ferry, but we also need the RNLI launching pad. I hope the Minister will have good news.

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue. He is correct in stating that there have been many representations. Deputy Keaveney is constantly in touch with the Department regarding Buncrana. I join Senator McHugh in acknowledging the representations of the late Councillor Jim Sheridan, who was in contact with the Department on a regular basis. He was like a dog with a bone, as is Deputy Keaveney at the moment.

The proposed dredging operations at Buncrana form an integral part of an application for a foreshore lease and licence to allow construction of a marina at Buncrana. Funding is being sought for the dredging on the basis of its benefit to the fishing industry. The national development plan provides €84.35 million for capital investment in fishery harbours infrastructure and facilities. This funding envelope represents a major increase over all previous programmes and is supporting crucial investment in safe, modern and efficient infrastructure which is essential for the fishing and aquaculture industries.

While funding has been directed primarily towards key strategic fishery harbours, including Killybegs and Castletownbere, we are also investing in smaller harbours and landing places around the coast to meet the needs of local fishing and aquaculture interests and coastal communities. The criteria for selection of fishery harbour projects include the development of infrastructure and facilities at priority fishery harbours to cater for larger vessels and developments in landing and work practices, in particular, in the context of EU requirements; the development of local harbours and the upgrading of local harbour infrastructure with a key role in creating and maintaining jobs in fishing, aquaculture and ancillary activities; the protection and preservation of existing infrastructure at selected local harbours, especially in remote coastal areas where fishing or aquaculture has an important socio-economic role; and the establishment of an adequate and reliable ice supply network around the coast.

The programme is intended to proceed on a planned basis over the period 2000-06. A substantial programme of capital works has already been undertaken. Up to the end of 2003, my Department has spent €83.44 million under the programme. The Estimates allocation of €21.141 million for 2004 for fishery harbour development is reduced considerably from the 2003 allocation.

To date I have approved funding of €10 million for the completion of the Killybegs Harbour development and a further €4 million has been allocated to progress the development in 2004 of the Castletownbere Harbour. Regarding Buncrana, the pier in question is owned by Donegal County Council and responsibility for its maintenance and repair rests with the local authority in the first instance. In November 2003, the county council submitted a proposal to my Department for funding to dredge the pier at an estimated cost of €200,000. In its submission the county council outlined that the dredging was needed to facilitate the launching of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute boat and to facilitate the ferry crossing between Magilligan and Greencastle and the fishing industry. It was in the latter part of 2003 that the council first approached my Department for the funding of dredging at Buncrana. At no stage was any commitment given by my Department either to the council or to the RNLI for the dredging at the harbour.

At present I am considering proposals for development works comprising projects submitted for consideration by local authorities and industry sources. This project is just one of these proposals and these projects will be considered and approved on a priority basis. The amount of funding for this project will depend on the amount of Exchequer funding available for works at fishery harbours generally and overall national priorities. The funding available to me under the national development plan is in respect of fishery harbour infrastructure. There is no funding at my disposal in respect of ferry operations.

The foreshore licence application by Donegal County Council in respect of dredging at Buncrana is also currently being finalised by my Department. I signed the order last week and it should be winging its way to Donegal County Council shortly. It is, however, important to point out that the foreshore lease being processed is in respect of a marina development and the foreshore licence for dredging is an integral part of that application as distinct from a specific application to dredge for the lifeboat. I thank the Senator for raising the issue and assure him we will give the matter careful consideration.

Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his contribution. Would it be possible for a member of his staff to contact Vincent Lynn at Donegal County Council? He is the senior road engineer and is in charge of fisheries. We have adopted a different approach to marinas in Donegal. There are three factors to be considered: the marina in Buncrana, the ferry and the lifeboat. It would help to bring these elements together and clarify the position if a member of the Department could make contact with Vincent Lynn who has made good inroads into this.

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is in constant contact with Donegal County Council because of this application. I will contact my officials tomorrow with the Senator's request.