Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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736. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has received a request from a local authority for funding to develop a pier (details supplied) in County Donegal; if he will give consideration to such a request; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties experienced by harbour users and all those using the pier to carry out either commercial or recreational marine based activities due to the lack of investment and development of the facility over a number of years; if his attention has been further drawn to the many potential benefits which such a development may yield for the local economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12161/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The pier at Port Inver is owned by Donegal County Council and responsibility for the maintenance and development of the pier rests with that Local Authority in the first instance and its parent Department, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government thereafter.

However, under the annual Fishery Harbour & Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, my Department has in previous years provided limited funding to assist Local Authorities for small scale developments and repair of Local Authority owned harbours, piers and slipways, subject to available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities.

I am happy to inform the Deputy that funding of circa €14k and €4k was provided to Donegal County Council in 2014 and 2015 respectively for works at Port Inver.

This year I have approved funding of  €2.5m for the Local Authority element of the 2017 Capital Programme. On the 3rd February 2017, coastal Local Authorities were invited to submit prioritised lists of projects for consideration, the closing  date for these submissions was the 17 February. Donegal County Council submitted a proposal with regard to a project at Port Inver, for which further details have been sought.

Decisions on the final suite of projects that will attract funding in 2017 will be made having taken account of the overall funds available, the criteria set out, priorities placed by the Councils and the need for a broad geographical spread. It is expected that these decisions will be notified to the Local Authorities before the end of March.