Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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638. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware that Sligo County Council intends to carry out dredging at the channel to Sligo Harbour; that his Department has granted a foreshore licence to the council for the dredging works; that the council must now submit an application to the Environmental Protection Agency for a dumping at sea licence; that the council executive has indicated that the local authority may not have the €12,000 fee to cover the cost of the dumping at sea licence application; if consideration will be given to providing financial assistance to Sligo County Council to allow it to proceed to submit the application for the dumping at sea licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15545/15]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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The application for a foreshore licence from Sligo County Council for dredging at Sligo Harbour was granted approval in principle on 20 May 2014. The Chief State Solicitor’s Office is currently preparing the requisite legal documentation. It is a matter for any party that wishes to engage in dredging activity to ensure that they obtain the necessary consents, including a Dumping at Sea permit from the EPA. It is the responsibility for each local authority, including Sligo 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 include adopting the annual budget and authorising borrowing, and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the local authority.