Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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292. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update regarding the action his Department is taking to fill vacant properties on Howth pier, County Dublin, and the reason these properties are vacant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7967/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Howth is one of six Fishery Harbour Centres managed and operated by my Department. Each centre is a working fishery harbour which has unique features which facilitate a broad range of other diverse activities which are important from both an economic and social perspective. This diversity is reflected in the range of properties managed by my Department in each of the Fishery Harbour Centres.

My Department's aim, working within the Government Framework for the management of State property and relevant legal frameworks, is to ensure that the sites within this diverse portfolio generate a competitive economic return while fostering a diverse range of maritime activities. In this context the Department reviews the portfolio of properties on an ongoing basis in order to maximise those returns to the Exchequer.

There are only a small number of vacant sites in Howth that are available to lease. My Department will be announcing details of a competitive public tender process shortly in respect of those available vacant sites.

Properties while appearing vacant may be subject to ongoing legal correspondence. The properties now being considered were not previously available for tender as they required repairs and or adjustments to render them suitable.