Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on the use of High Court orders for the management of unlicensed developments in view of the proposed removal of a slipway and moorings at Oysterhaven, County Cork. [11484/07]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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When the conditions attached to a foreshore lease are not complied with, it is standard procedure for the Department to contact the lessee with a view to ensuring compliance with the conditions of the lease.

However, when a lessee refuses to comply with the terms of the relevant lease, the Department, acting in consultation with its legal advisors, will initiate appropriate legal proceedings to protect the foreshore.

As the case referred to by the Deputy is currently before the Courts, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 82: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he has acted on the recommendations of the Public Accounts 9th Interim Report on the 2003 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and the Office of Public Works, with regard to the issuing of marina grants and foreshore licences. [11483/07]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I accept fully the recommendations made in the 9th Interim Report of the Public Accounts Committee concerning the application of the principles underlying the Guidelines for the Appraisal and Management of Capital Expenditure Proposals in the Public Sector to capital projects undertaken by the State. However, the question concerns specifically the application of these principles to the issuing of grants to marinas, and there are no plans for any scheme for grant aid for marinas to be operated by the Department. All State support for tourism development, including marine tourism, will be channelled through Fáilte Ireland under the new National Development Plan.

The only outstanding matter concerns a grant for a marina at Roundstone, County Galway, which was selected for grant aid by way of a Budget Day adjustment in 2000, in advance of the terms of the former Marine Tourism Grant Scheme being finalised. The conditions set down for approval of the grant to this project mirror as closely as possible the conditions for payment that were put in place for the Marine Tourism Grant Scheme. The Operational Guidelines for the Scheme laid down rigorous selection and assessment procedures which were consistent with the 1994 Guidelines for the Appraisal and Management of Capital Expenditure Proposals that have now been updated by the 2005 Guidelines.

The Roundstone project has been unable to satisfy the conditions for payment of the grant, and no payment has been made. There is a token provision in the 2007 Revised Estimates to allow for the possibility of this grant being paid in the event that the applicants can comply fully with the conditions.

With regard to the issuing of foreshore leases and licences, the Department is pursuing a number of initiatives designed to significantly improve our processes and procedures with a view to enhancing customer service while protecting the foreshore.