Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1819. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide details of capital investment in the dredging of fishery harbours for every year since 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47167/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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My Department owns, operates, develops and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl, under statute. 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. 

Every year, my Department allocates funding under the Fishery Harbour Centre and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, which contains details of the capital projects planned for each Fishery Harbour Centre in the coming year.  Periodically, the programme allows for dredging works which may vary from routine maintenance (for example directly under or adjacent to a syncrolift), to more substantial works involving the partial or complete dredging of a harbour. Since 2015, almost €18 million has been provided by my Department for such dredging works in the Fishery Harbour Centres.

In addition, some larger construction projects may include an element of capital dredging within the overall scope of works which has not been included in the above figure.

In March I announced a capital investment package of over €23.4 million for the six Fishery Harbour Centres (Cape Clear, Piers, Lights & Beacons and Safety and Maintenance) as part of the 2025 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. The allocation includes €1.16 million for preparatory dredging pre-works at Howth and for syncrolift dredging at Killybegs.