Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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361. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when all reports on the development of a deep water pier in Ros a Mhil will be completed; if in examining this project the wider policies of the Government for the sustainable development of territorial waters and the needs they will create for deep water piers around the coast will be taken into account; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37622/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Fishery Harbour Centres Act 1968, established the concept of fishery harbours in the State and invested their management in the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine took over responsibility for the Fishery Harbour Centres (FHCs) in October 2007. Ros an Mhíl is one of six Fishery Harbour Centres, the others are located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth and Killybegs.

The FHCs were established to act as dedicated centres and focal points for the promotion and development of the Irish seafood industry which comes under the remit of this Department.

Overall policies and strategies for delivering on climate change and renewable energies are not primarily a matter for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, these primarily fall under the remit of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

Should any proposals be brought forward either centrally or from private enterprises to develop the infrastructure in Ros an Mhíl or any of the Fishery Harbour Centres, to support the sustainable development of territorial waters, they will be considered as appropriate.

Funding is made available on an annual basis by my Department to the FHCs, including Ros an Mhíl, via the Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. A phased programme for the infrastructural development of Ros an Mhíl FHC has been progressed over the last number of years, which has seen a significant investment. In total, approx €31m has been invested in capital developments at Ros an Mhíl FHC between 2000 and 2019. In addition, in excess of €1.5m has been allocated for capital works in the harbour in 2020.

The possibility of a deep-water berthing project at Ros an Mhíl FHC has been mooted for some time. The Department commissioned DKM consultants to conduct a Cost Benefit Analysis into the development of a deep water quay at Ros an Mhíl FHC and a draft report was submitted to the Department in June 2017. While positive, the Department had reservations with the report and never formally accepted it. Since the report was drafted, there have been changes to some of the fundamentals underpinning the original analysis.

In 2018, the Department subsequently commissioned engineering consultants to undertake a review of the design solutions, scoping options and operational aspects of a possible future project. An interim draft of the Quay Wall Peer Review Report was received in April 2019. This report identified the need for additional site investigations to be carried out in Ros an Mhíl FHC. These site investigation works were carried out in August/September 2019 and have now been completed.

The final Quay Wall Peer Review report was received on 27th July 2020 and a further update was issued on the 4th  September 2020. The Department is now considering this report in full, including the site investigation results, to inform a future assessment of possible design solutions and scoping options, which will, in themselves, inform any future decisions on progressing this project. 

As is the case with all developments in the six Fishery Harbour Centres generally, any future decision with regard to formally initiating this project in Ros an Mhíl FHC, will only be considered on the basis of available exchequer funding and competing national priorities.