Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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17. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the next tendering process will begin for properties at Howth Fishery Harbour in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18457/15]

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 my Department reviews the portfolio of properties on an ongoing basis in order to maximise those returns to the Exchequer.

There are a small number of vacant sites in Howth that are in a position to be made available and preparations in this regard are well advanced. My Department expects to announce details of a competitive public tender process in respect of Howth sites in the coming weeks.