Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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22. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a process is in place whereby enterprises in marine tourism and marine-related engineering and electronics industries can apply for workspaces in national harbours, in particular at Howth harbour, County Dublin. [25913/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department owns, manages and maintains the six Fishery Harbour Centres located at Howth, Dunmore East, Castletownbere, Dingle, Rossaveel and Killybegs.

Properties located in the Fishery Harbour Centres are, when appropriate, offered for tenancy under lease agreement by means of an open competitive tendering process in accordance with good practice and public procurement guidelines.

In 2013, my Department held public competitive tendering processes for vacant sites in three Fishery Harbour Centres namely Howth, Castletownbere and Killybegs and plans with regard to potential future uses for vacant properties at the Fishery Harbour Centres are kept under ongoing review by my Department.

While Fishery Harbour Centres are first and foremost working fishery harbours, there are also a wide range of other activities in all the harbours, including Howth. My Department elicits harbour users views through regular communication with them and via the annual Harbour Users Forum which was most recently held in Howth on the 23^rdJanuary 2014.

Consideration will be given to demand for particular services should such demands become apparent, subject to public competitive tendering obligations.

Optimising the maximum return for the Exchequer, while delivering on a public service delivery remit, is foremost when considering potential future uses for vacant properties in the harbours.