John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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535. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the design process for the proposed breakwater extension at Dunmore East Harbour, County Waterford. [14344/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Dunmore East Fishery Harbour Centre is one of the six designated Fishery Harbour Centres which are owned, managed and maintained by my Department under Statute.

I am happy to advise the Deputy that, notwithstanding the prevailing economic environment in which we operate, in excess of €9.8 million has been invested in maintenance, development and upgrading works at Dunmore East FHC as part of my Department’s Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme from 2011 to 2015.

The Deputy will be aware that the flagship project under the 2015 Fishery Harbour Capital Development Programme run by my Department was the €6.3m dredging project at Dunmore East.

I have allocated €1.66 million for works at the Dunmore East Fishery Harbour Centre under the 2016 Capital Development Programme. Significant works in this year’s capital programme include the West wharf upgrade, Harbour Office Upgrade and Harbour Road re-surfacing.

Also included in this years’ programme is a €160,000 project to design a breakwater in Dunmore East. It is envisaged that a new breakwater would protect the existing harbour, and provide a safer haven for fishing and leisure vessels alike. My Department advertised for Consultants on eTenders on 17th April 2016. The tender deadline was extended to 23rd May following a request from one of the consultants. The tenders are being assessed at present.

The intention is that a consultant will be appointed in the coming weeks to advance the design. The consultancy work is to examine various breakwater options to give protection to the present harbour.

As the Deputy is aware, all developments in the six Fishery Harbour Centres, including a possible future breakwater project, at Dunmore East Fishery Harbour Centre will be considered under future Capital Programmes on the basis of available exchequer funding and competing priorities.

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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536. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he has taken by his Department on foot of the 2015 report of the Committee of Public Accounts and its recommendations in regard to improving commercial management and better utilisation of resources within the State fishery harbour centres. [14345/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Committee’s report on the Fishery Harbour Centres was launched in June 2015 and followed on from my Department's attendance at the Public Accounts Committee on 16 October 2014 and subsequent correspondences with the Committee. The issues addressed by the Committee were in the main subject of a special report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (special report no. 82) in April 2014.

My Department has accepted the recommendations of the Committee’s report. The report itself acknowledged the strategic importance of the Fishery Harbour Centres which are owned and managed by my Department under Statute. The fact that 84% of all fish landings into the State are landed into the six Fishery Harbour Centres emphasises how critical this infrastructure is for the ongoing development and management of our Seafood Sector.

The report also noted that improvements have taken place in the management of the FHCs since the Department took over responsibility for them in October 2007.

My Department has over recent years substantially restructured its administrative staffing, structures, procedures and operational management of the harbours and I am confident these changes will continue to generate improvements in the functioning and management of the harbours. This revised structure serves to provide a clear segregation of the Department’s Fishery Harbour Centres control and development responsibilities as enshrined under the Fishery Harbour Centres Act, 1968.

A Fishery Harbour Centre Management Committee, at Principal Officer Level has been established. The Management Committee comprises representation from the Sea Fisheries Administration Division, the Marine Engineering Division and the Accounts Division of the Department.

Officials from my Department have met with Enterprise Ireland, most recently on 20 January 2016, to discuss potential cooperation opportunities by making vacant Harbour properties available to facilitate the delivery of suitable Enterprise Ireland projects. These meetings are now a normal part of operations and it is intended for the next meeting to take place in July.

The majority of Fishery Harbour Centre (FHC) properties are leased to a variety of public and private sector tenants which support the FHCs’ role as working fishery harbours in addition to a broad range of other marine and leisure activities. My Department is working closely with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office to regularise existing complex legacy property arrangements, and to gain vacant possession of other properties with a view to making them available by means of Public Tender. Reviews of the FHCs’ property portfolio (213 properties) take place on an ongoing basis in relation to maximising returns to the Fishery Harbour Centre Fund. Six vacant FHC properties were put out to public tender in 2015/2016 and leases have now been signed for four properties.