Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Transport the funding which has been allocated to date to a project (details supplied) in County Mayo; the costs which have been incurred to date; the category of each cost; the person to whom this funding was paid; when this project was first announced; when it is envisaged that the project will be operational; if a feasibility study has been carried out on this proposal; if so, at what cost; if the feasibility study has been published; the findings of same; and if he will provide a copy of reports and studies carried out regarding this project. [8453/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for Westport Harbour Commissioners has transferred from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to my Department with effect from 1 January 2006. A payment of €94,276 was made to Westport Harbour Commissioners in December 2002. The Department stipulated that due to curtailment in funding this payment was made on the strict condition that there would be no expectation whatsoever of any further funding. The payment was in respect of expenditure incurred in the preparation and the implementation of the integrated development plan up to November 2002 and related to professional fees regarding the preparation of the integrated development plan and a feasibility study; project development costs including part of the salary of a marine engineer, boat hire costs and general administration expenses; infrastructure work in the harbour; improvements to the navigational channel; and lighting.

The feasibility study was carried out in 2002 by consultants appointed by Mayo County Council and Westport Harbour Commissioners. The cost of this study was €34,001. This study was not published by my Department. I will arrange for a copy of the feasibility study to be forwarded to the Deputy. There remains no possibility that funding will be provided for the disengagement measure of the NDP 2000 to 2006 in respect of regional harbours. The limited resources available for expenditure on regional harbours have been concentrated on public safety works pending the transfer of certain regional harbours to local authority control. Westport Harbour Commissioners have been a substantial beneficiary in the allocation of this funding and have received €411,319 since 2004.