Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 479: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if funding granted under the Fishery Harbours and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme may be used in conjunction with funding from another Department to part finance works on public infrastructure (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10086/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The pier at Brandon is the property of Kerry County Council and responsibility for its repair and upkeep rests with the Local Authority in the first instance. Each year my Department invites proposals from all Local Authorities for inclusion in the annual Fishery Harbours and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. No application was made by Kerry County Council in respect of the above mentioned location under the 2009 Programme.

However, any future application made by Kerry County Council will be considered based on available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities. The Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs administers the Coastal Development Scheme under the CLÁR programme. This programme runs in conjunction with my Department's Fishery Harbours and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. Under the programme, projects approved under my Department's programme can be co-funded by Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs at a rate of either 37.5% or 12.5%, depending on the size of the project.

Qualifying projects up to a cost of €200,000 can be funded 37.5% by my Department and 37.5% by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs with the Local Authority contributing 25%. Qualifying projects costing in excess of €200,000 can potentially receive up to 75% of funding from my Department with the remaining 25% shared equally between the Local Authority and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.