David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1111. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of capital funding allocated to fishery harbour centres and local authority owned peers and harbours since 2015, broken down by year and by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29709/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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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. It also has responsibility for Cape Clear, Cleggan and some Piers, Lights and Beacons.

In March, Minister Dooley and I announced a capital investment package of €23.4 million for the six Fishery Harbour Centres and Cape Clear as part of the 2025 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme (including €385,000 for Cape Clear, Piers, Lights & Beacons and Safety and Maintenance). The allocation included capital commitments for ongoing projects and the planned commencement of some new projects.

The responsibility for the development and maintenance of local authority owned piers, harbours and slipways rests with each local authority in the first instance and with the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage thereafter.

However, my Department has, as part of this annual Programme, provided limited funding to assist coastal local authorities in carrying out small scale projects for the development and repair of piers, harbours and slipways in their ownership.

On 21st May last, Minister Dooley and I further announced an allocation of €4.33 million for 57 projects across 11 coastal local authorities under the 2025 Programme. My Department will co-fund up to 75% of the eligible project costs, with the local authorities providing the balance.

The three attached tables detail the actual expenditure under each of the three elements of the Fishery Harbour Centre and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme for 2015-2024 inclusive, and also the estimated spend for 2025. In 2022, my Department allocated unprecedented funding of €55.4 million for capital projects carried out by local authorities under the Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure (BALAMI) Scheme. In order to maximise the BALAMI projects, in 2024 this Department approved funding of €12.7 million for projects selected on the basis of their capacity to be delivered in 2024 and having regard to their ongoing relevance to addressing the impacts of Brexit on Ireland’s fishing industry.

Final expenditure for 2025 will not be available until after the scheme closes at the end of the year.