Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

267. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 1593 and 1594 of 21 March 2023, the details of the health and safety assessment underpinning his Department’s position not to permit motor caravans from parking overnight in Ros a'Mhíl Fishery Harbour Centre and the other five fishery harbour centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26212/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The six Fishery Harbours Centres managed and maintained by my Department are working fishing centres, and for this reason the Department takes health and safety matters very seriously.

The Department, in consultation with the three Island Committees, agreed to provide parking permits at Ros an Mhíl Fishery Harbour Centre to permanent residents of the Aran Islands. A limited number of spaces in the Fishery Harbour Centre car park have been set aside as a permit parking area. The exclusion of vehicles taxed as ‘Motor Caravan’ from the permit application process reflects the general policy across all harbours not to permit live-aboard vehicles such as caravans, campervans and motor homes in harbour car parks overnight in locations where a working fishing harbour operates.

Therefore, when the terms and conditions of the parking permit application process were decided, such vehicles were not included as eligible under this process.

Almost all applications have been in line with the terms and conditions set out. In a very small number of cases applications have been refused in respect of live-aboard vehicles.

I have requested my Department’s Marine Engineering Division to carry out a specific health and safety assessment on the risk of permitting live-aboard vehicles stay overnight in the working Fishery Harbour Centre starting with Ros an Mhíl.