Written answers

Tuesday, 13 October 2020

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Harbours and Piers

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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596. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the capital funding allocated and spent and the projects that have been delivered at the harbours under the remit of his Department in each of the years 2000 to 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30196/20]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department owns, operates and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl under statute. In addition, my Department also has responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of North Harbour at Cape Clear, as well as the maintenance of a small number of specific piers, lights and beacons throughout Ireland, in accordance with the Marine Works (Ireland) Act 1902, and piers, lights and beacons constructed under the auspices of the Congested Districts Board.

Funding is made available on an annual basis by my Department to the Fishery Harbour Centres, via the Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. Since 2007, when my Department took over responsibility for the Fishery Harbour Centres, over €168 million has been invested in this Department-owned infrastructure.

Table 1 (contained in the link below) outlines the total expenditure by my Department in relation to this Department-owned infrastructure in the years 2007 to 2020. The figures for 2020 are the allocated funding figures, not actual expenditure figures.

My officials are currently reviewing records for the period 2000-2006, which pre-dates the transfer of the fisheries function to my Department, and I will revert to you in due course with details of funding allocated during this period.

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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597. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the capital plans for harbours under the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30197/20]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department owns, operates and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl under statute. In addition, my Department also has responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of North Harbour at Cape Clear, as well as the maintenance of a small number of specific piers, lights and beacons throughout Ireland, in accordance with the Marine Works (Ireland) Act 1902, and piers, lights and beacons constructed under the auspices of the Congested Districts Board.

Funding is made available on an annual basis by my Department to the Fishery Harbour Centres, via the Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. Since 2010, €133 million has been invested in this Department-owned infrastructure.

No final decisions have been made on the suite of projects to be undertaken under the 2021 Capital Programme at this stage. Any future development projects in the six Fishery Harbour Centres will only be considered on the basis of available exchequer funding and competing national priorities.

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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598. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to reinstate the Border inspection post status at Killybegs seaport in view of the availability of a high capacity cold store (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30202/20]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has been actively participating in the whole-of-Government approach to Brexit preparedness and contingency planning. This includes the designation and approval of border inspection posts at ports and airports. The focus to date has been on infrastructure developments and upgrades at border inspection posts in Dublin Port, Rosslare and Dublin airport, due to the volume of trade flows with the UK.

Under existing anti-IUU fishing regulations and North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) requirements, direct landings of fresh fishery products by third country vessels can be authorised to land into Killybegs (or Castletownbere). Ireland does not have a Border Inspect Post to facilitate the landing of frozen fish by third country vessels. Landings of frozen fish, which would require a Border Inspection Post, are small in volume and given the costs associated with such designation, it would not be justified for Killybegs.

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