Charlie McConalogue has criticised the omission of the Greencastle Harbour Breakwater Project in the latest series of funding granted by the Government.
The Fianna Fáil TD said it was unacceptable that funding has not been announced to allow completion works begin on the unfinished project, despite €35.7m for six other Fishery Harbour Centres being announced this week.
Deputy McConalogue said: “Between 2006 and 2011, Fianna Fáil invested €6.7m in the breakwater project in specific grants from the Department of Agriculture and Marine Funds.
“Fine Gael then suspended the project and has failed to allocate funds to the project since,” he added.
“Fine Gael, through current Minister Joe McHugh, made very clear commitments to fishermen and water users in Greencastle before the 2011 General Election. Those promises have still not been fulfilled and instead, the Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine has taken to claiming that his legislative remit does not extend to Greencastle Harbour.
“Last summer a funding application for the breakwater project was directed to the Department of Rural and Community Affairs under the Rural Regeneration Programme,” he said.
“This move by the Government to divert responsibility from the original parent Department is a dereliction of the Department of Agriculture and the Marines responsibility to see through a project which it started and would instead use up funds which are intended to benefit new projects in Inishowen.
“Surely with Brexit looming, investment in a border harbour such as Greencastle should be top of the government’s priority list.
“The Greencastle Harbour Breakwater Project is shovel ready – Minister Joe McHugh needs to ensure that promises on this project are kept and with the Minister for Agriculture ensure that the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine allocate funding for it as a matter of priority.”
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