Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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1427. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the real need to develop facilities at Greencastle Harbour and Leenan Pier in County Donegal; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that his Department's funding system for piers and harbours severely curtails Donegal County Council's ability to carry out the necessary improvement works; and if he will urgently review this funding system. [1235/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Greencastle Harbour and Leenan Pier are owned by Donegal County Council and responsibility for their maintenance and development rests with that Local Authority in the first instance and its parent Department, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government thereafter. I am unaware of the plans these bodies have for the repair and development the harbours and would advise the Deputy to contact them in this regard.

My Department does however provide limited funding to assist coastal Local Authorities in carrying out small scale projects for the development and repair of Local Authority owned piers, harbours and slipways under the annual Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, subject to available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities.

My Department received an application for funding for a dredging project at Greencastle Harbour under the 2016 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. However this project did not meet our required terms and conditions as a Dumping at Sea/Foreshore Licence had not been secured in advance of the application submission. Therefore funding was not approved for this project. My Department did not receive any applications relating to Leenan Pier under the 2016 Programme.

Any application submitted by Donegal County Council in respect of capital development works at Greencastle Harbour and Leenan Pier under a future Local Authority capital programme will be given due consideration in the context of the criteria set out, available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities.