Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
147. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Transport the progress that has been made to date to secure a new premises for Courtown Coastguard, since the announcement of a preferred site being identified made in April 2025; if funding has been secured for this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68398/25]
View answerI wish to assure the Deputy that in acknowledging the existing Coast Guard station site at Courtown cannot accommodate additional facilities required to bring the station up to standard, the provision of suitable accommodation and facilities for the Courtown Coast Guard Unit remains a priority of the IRCG building programme.
In line with my written responses to you (PQ Ref: 5527/25 and 10695/25) on 18th February and on 19th March 2025, the Courtown Coast Guard station site has no capacity for expansion to incorporate additional facilities and is therefore currently on the Irish Coast Guard building programme priority list.
A potential site for a new Coast Guard Station at Courtown was identified following an appraisal process undertaken by the Department and the OPW in 2024.
Since then, a broader transformation programme across the IRCG has been taking place. A key focus in 2025 was the undertaking of a review of how facilities are provided for our IRCG Volunteers, with specifications that are appropriate to requirements. This exercise involved extensive engagement with the OPW, resulting in an agreed, and recently launched, IRCG Building Strategy.
Noting that the Infrastructure Guidelines allow for departmental review of capital expenditure at key stages of a project, as set out in Section 2.2.2 Project Lifecycle and Approvals, my Department as Approving Authority subsequently requested that a further market trawl be carried out in Courtown. The provision of a new station will be reviewed in consideration of achieving value for money for the exchequer and in alignment with the new IRCG Building Strategy.
It should be noted that Courtown CGU is flanked by an RNLI Unit located at the harbour in Courtown with immediate access to the sea and therefore the further market trawl of the area by OPW, on behalf of Courtown CGU, need not be confined to locations with immediate access to the sea.
As an interim measure, my Department has secured accommodation for the Courtown Coast Guard Unit in the local parochial house. Arrangements to accommodate the Unit will remain in place until a new facility is provided.
