Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I thank the Minister for taking this issue on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. While I appreciate that the Office of Public Works, OPW, is not his direct area of responsibility, this matter relates to the Coast Guard in Courtown, an area of the world the Minister is very familiar with. He will know that the Coast Guard in Courtown does not just service the north Wexford area, but also Arklow and much of south Wicklow. I join in the congratulations to the Coast Guard, which is marking its bicentenary. There is a new Coast Guard station in Greystones. I hope that we will now finally see some progress on the station in Courtown.

Although I have raised this issue a number of times in the Seanad, I last raised it as a Commencement matter on 24 February. The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, took the matter at that time. The station is one of the old rocket house-type stations. Some 22 crew, male and female, operate from it. It is a single-room operation with no toilet. There are common changing facilities for male and female Coast Guard operators. In answering at the time, the Minister of State acknowledged that it was very clear that there were health and safety concerns in respect of this Coast Guard station and that it was not suitable in the modern environment. She said that the OPW had carried out some preliminary work in identifying sites and that this was a priority facility. She was very clear that its development was a priority. During the summer, the Minister of State visited this facility and fully accepted the need for and importance of progress on this matter.

Six sites were originally identified, although they were not necessarily deemed suitable. Wexford County Council worked with the Coast Guard and the OPW to identify potential sites and a site was very clearly identified. The owners of the site were happy to look at putting it up for sale but there does not seem to have been any progress. I hope the Minister will be able to provide us with a report on progress since I asked this question in February and since the Minister of State's visit, when we were told that this was a priority for the OPW and that it had been carrying out work. I know this is something Government is committed to. We have provided significant funding for the development of our Coast Guard stations. However, for some reason, the OPW does not seem to be prioritising the facility at Courtown. I hope the Minister will be able to give me some positive news today.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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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.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. Unfortunately, we seem to have progressed at a glacial pace on this issue. I am concerned about it because the council had identified potential sites and it was not going to leave them sitting around. Potential private sites were also identified. The money has been provided for the purchase of a site. The Coast Guard is very keen that the acquisition would progress. The Minister is aware of the vital work the Coast Guard does in coastal communities. I am disappointed because the situation has not moved on to any great extent since I raised it as a Commencement matter in February and by other means. I suggest that a meeting might be arranged between the OPW, the Coast Guard and Wexford County Council. I am happy to facilitate such a meeting. I ask the Minister to communicate that to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. If we could arrange for that to happen as soon as possible, preferably before Christmas, so that we can have clear details on a site and when construction might finally begin.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator. That sounds like a very reasonable suggestion. I will convey it to the Minister of State and his officials in the OPW to see if they can link with him on when such a meeting could be arranged.

I echo the Senator's comments about the vital work being carried out by the Coast Guard. It is only right and proper that the Government supports it in its vital work by providing it with facilities that are fit for purpose. We are all very clear that the current facilities in Courtown are not fit for purpose. The situation is not sustainable. While all remedial works possible have been carried out there is a need for a new site and a purpose-built facility. I appreciate that the situation is frustrating from the Senator's point of view in that the Government is committed to the project from the point of view of capital funding. This is not a funding issue; it is a matter of finding a site and securing it as quickly as possible. I hear the Senator's frustration. I will take the matter back to the Minister of State and the OPW and ask that they arrange a meeting with him.