Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2019
1131. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when legal advice was first sought in respect of the dumping at the old dock, Galway; when a decision will be made regarding the action he plans to take regarding the complaint in view of the length of time this matter has been with his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44460/19]
View answerMy Department has been engaged with the State's legal services since 2014 in relation to the case in question.
Following a circuit court judgement, a case that my Department was not party to, it was necessary to devote resources to identify whether the area in question was State Owned Foreshore. Subsequently, my Department sought advice on issues such as whether that circuit court judgement needed to be revisited, and if so how. Furthermore, advice was required on whether it was possible to identify who may have placed material on the Foreshore and if so the next appropriate steps to be taken as many years may have elapsed since the material was placed in the Mud Dock.
In addition to the complex legal issues arising in the case, the matter of how the public interest is best served in the context of the future management of the area in question also needs to be carefully considered. In the light of these complexities, I cannot provide a definitive date regarding the finalisation of this work at this time.
