Tom Brabazon (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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697. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the 2025 and 2026 capital budget allocations for works under the Fishery Harbour Centre and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. [65270/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has responsibility for the six State owned Fishery Harbour Centres (FHCs) at Killybegs, Ros an Mhíl, Dingle, Castletownbere, Dunmore East and Howth.

In March this year I announced an allocation of €27.7 million to my Department’s 2025 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. This comprises an investment package of €23.4 million for the six FHCs (including €385,000 for Cape Clear, and specific Piers, Lights & Beacons for which my Department has responsibility), and €4.3 million to assist coastal local authorities in carrying out small scale projects for the development and repair of piers, harbours and slipways in their ownership. Details of the allocations are available in tabular form online at (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/press-releases/minister-dooley-announces-2775-million-in-funding-for-fishery-harbour-centres-and-public-marine-infrastructure/) .

It is worth noting that many of the larger capital projects currently underway in the FHCs are multi-annual projects and it can be expected that a number of these will continue into 2026, subject to the applicable conditions of contract, rigorous project management processes and in accordance with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s Capital Works Management Framework and the Public Spending Code.

An allocation of €157.7 million has been provided for the fisheries and seafood sector in Budget 2026. This funding will continue to provide supports across key capital infrastructure projects in the Fishery Harbour Centres, the Seafood Development Programme as well as supporting the important work carried out by our marine agencies towards the economic and environmental sustainability of the seafood sector.