Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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502. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the situation at Magheraroarty pier in County Donegal whereby dredging is required on an ongoing basis when sand accumulates at the pier; the amount spent dredging this pier to date; if he intends to make funding available to Donegal County Council to develop and implement a permanent solution to the problem; if his attention has been drawn to the impact of the problem on the local fishing and tourist industry as access to the offshore island of Tory is dependent on the pier; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9625/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I am aware of dredging issues at Magheraroarty Pier and recently granted a foreshore licence under section 3(3) of the Foreshore Act 1933 to Donegal County Council to undertake necessary emergency works following storm damage. My Department is currently processing an application by Donegal County Council for a 5 year licence to undertake maintenance dredging and beach nourishment at Magheraroarty Pier. However, funding of such works is a matter for Donegal County Council.

It is a matter for each local authority, including Donegal County Council, to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources. The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which includes adopting the annual budget, and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the local authority.