Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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165. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the properties and sites owned by his Department in Killybegs, County Donegal, in tabular form; the current status of each, including the date on which each unit was acquired; the duration for which each vacant property has remained unoccupied; the efforts he has made to offer such properties for lease or sale to interested parties for various uses; the number of expressions of interest received with respect to each; where properties were offered but no agreement was reached, the reason why these offers were rejected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3656/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The property portfolio in Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre, one of the six designated Fishery Harbour Centres which are owned, managed and maintained by my Department under Statute, encompasses a range of diverse properties reflecting its remit as a working fishery harbour and its unique features which facilitate a broad range of other diverse activities which are important from both an economic and social perspective. Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre (including all properties contained therein) was vested in the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries by virtue of Statutory Instrument number 210 of 1969 (as amended).

My Department manages the property portfolio, working within the Government Framework for the management of State property and other relevant legal frameworks. It is conscious of balancing the need to generate an economic return with fostering a diverse range of maritime activities and delivering on it’s public service remit. In this context my Department reviews the portfolio of properties on an ongoing basis.

There are 33 properties/sites on the Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre portfolio which are managed by my Department. Of these 9 are occupied by commercial entities, 10 are occupied by State/Public Bodies to support the fishing industry, 5 are used by my Dep artment for operational reasons and a further 3 are used for the provision of utilities. I am not in a position to provide details of individual property arrangements for confidentiality reasons.

The level of vacant properties/sites within the FHCs can vary from time to time due to changes in tenancies, expiration of leases etc and also for operational reasons. At present there are 6 vacant properties/sites in Killybegs. Two of these sites are about to be made available by public tender competition by my Department with the announcements planned for the end of this week. These same sites were last tendered in 2013 and the competition did not attract any interested parties. The remaining 4 vacant sites are not currently available for tender due to legal, planning or operational considerations.