Éamon Ó Cuív reports progress on harbour project tender

There's a lot of good jobs here in the first two years. There's a lot of good jobs, I've said that we have a job, I've done, I've done, I've done a lot of good jobs and I've done the job and a job and I've done a job with people at Cable's Day. We have to do if we don't have the plan for the programme. I'm sure it will be on the game. asking is, you made a big announcement on the 1st of February, obviously it is now in the hands of officials and the question asks what progress has been made by the department in actually progressing this project since. Thank you very much and just first of all, Deputy O'Queave, to acknowledge your advocacy on behalf of this project over the years and since I became minister in terms of seeking to have it driven on and delivered upon. It is going back a long time until the early 2000s. Your former minister, Frank Fahey, would have been minister for the marine at the time it was initiated. There have been many twists and turns since that, but I know you have been absolutely central to actually pushing this forward and ensuring that we actually can deliver upon it. I know our government colleagues as well have been strong advocates of it, Senator Kaine, Senator Crowe and Senator O'Reilly as well. Listen, to update in terms of where it is at, Deputy, first of all, as you know, the project will deliver over 70 per cent greater depth to accommodate larger fishing vessels and also 200 metres of additional quayside. In terms of where it is at the moment, on the 4th of February, my department published a tender for consultancy services. That is to complete the detailed design to manage the tender process for construction works, also to supervise the construction works and also in due course handover of completed construction works back to my department. That tender competition closed on 10 March. My department has been assessing the completed assessment of tenders. On 24 March, the successful and unsuccessful tenders were notified and the process is currently in the standstill period required under public procurement policy following on from that. Securing this consultancy service is necessary precursor then in line with the public works contract. While I cannot currently specify when construction works will begin, my department is working to ensure that all planning conditions will be met. Our fishery harbour centres, as we know, Deputy Cueve, are critical to the seafood industry, in Rosseville, is a clear example of how these facilities stimulate economic activity for the surrounding rural coastal communities. The potential for downstream development and jobs has been acknowledged by my cabinet colleagues, including the Minister for Cultural Arts, Gaelic and Media, Catherine Martin and the Minister for State Gaelic and Sport, Jack Chambers. The project is further evidence of the Government's commitment to addressing the impacts of Brexit. Deputy Agree. That's great progress. I understand the processes that have to be gone through, and you have to go through those, so that is accepted, and I am very pleased that now at the end of March we have actually got a successful tenderer and we have got that next process to will go smoothly. I understand there are two elements in this. One is the dredging element and the other is the actual building of the Harbour Royal. I understand that for the dredging there is no design issues and that that could go forward immediately, whereas the actual construction of the pier will require detailed design and so on. So my question to you is, will it be let off in two tenders now? One for dredging, which could go ahead immediately, and then one for when the design is developed, for design and actual construction of the pier. Because if even the dredging could be got off, it would absolutely put our minds to rest, because I understand it is part of the planning. It would put our minds to rest that we were, within the planning period and if necessary an extension of time, based on substantial works being carried out, would be available. I can't answer that here now, Deputy Phee, but I certainly will consider the points you have made and come back to you directly. Any other ideas or views you have in relation to the project, in terms of how we approach it, I would be very happy to engage with you on it. It was a tremendous day to be down there, to see the spirit in the local community, to meet with all of those who have driven it and advocated for this project for so long. I think it is a tremendous natural resource, in terms of the location of the pier. It has tremendous potential for the years ahead, and the Government are really committed to actually driving projects like this forward and making them happen. Our absolute commitment here is to make that happen. We understand the importance of doing that quickly to move it through the process, and we will absolutely ensure that that happens. Certainly working with yourself, Deputy Creeve, who has been absolutely central to making this happen. As I say, with our Government colleagues, Party colleague Senator Crowe, Government colleagues, Minister Nocton, Senator Caine and Senator Riley, we as a Government intend to deliver this and make sure that it is a resource and an asset for the people of Galway and Connemara, in particular for decades to come. I think the vision we all have in Russellville is a multi-use port. You saw of yourself for a fantastic space around it that is probably incomparable to any other port in we have is leisure which is in the inner harbour, the ferry boats who you know use it to great effect, bringing cargo out of the islands and certain types of cargo go from there, the main cargo goes from Galway, as well as the major issue of fishing which is the primary purpose of the port and of course the big new coming industry and that is the whole renewable energy and as you know if we get our act together the west coast could actually catch up with the east coast in terms of wind generation particularly off the coast of Galway at the sky of the rocks and there will be no knowing how much berthage they will need on the mainland so presumably in all of the consideration of this the development of that port in this holistic way in all its elements are very much to the forward to the park and not just the narrow fishing. Mr Glotton and Deputy Cueve, there is potential here on a number of fronts. The central objective and rationale behind the port is fisheries and making sure that Russellville can thrive again and grow again from the fisheries perspective and that is the key rationale but also we have to look at how we can leverage that for existing industries and for the years ahead and you are absolutely right Deputy Cueve in relation to as a state and as a government the importance of planning ahead for the transformation that we are going to see in relation to renewable energy in the years ahead and making sure that we as a country benefit from that that we become a net energy exporter in the years ahead but central to that now is planning in terms of putting the infrastructure in place so Rosseville certainly has potential to make a significant contribution and for that industry potentially to make significant contribution to Rosseville and to the county of Galway and indeed to the west coast in the years ahead as well and I want to recognise the work that was done with the Udris na Giltata under the stewardship of Michael Heaney and his team in relation to the report they put together looking at the potential of that and also the support of Minister of State Jack Chambers in terms of this project but overall the key objective here is fisheries driving that on but also then looking to see how we can maximise its impact for the economic and employment potential in Connemara at West Galway and the west coast over the years ahead. Thanks.