An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-24
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Mark Duffy (FG), Labour Panel

I acknowledge the visitors to the House, and also the previous visitors, the ambassadors of Ukraine and Estonia. It is a day of celebration for the people of Estonia, their national day, but it is not the same for Ukraine for obvious reasons. The people of Ukraine have had to endure so much hardship since the illegal invasion by Russia four years ago today. On behalf of the Fine Gael side of the House, I send solidarity to all Ukrainian people who have lost their lives, lost loved ones and lost a future in their home country. Please God we will see an improvement in that situation.
I raise something I have raised in the House on two previous occasions in the past nine months. I raised it shortly after being elected and raised it more recently with the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley. It relates to the maintenance of piers and harbours across the country. Sadly, last week, we had a fatality at a pier in Belderrig in County Mayo, a man in his 60s. Because of a lack of maintenance at the pier, which I have called for on a number of occasions, his vehicle lost control and slipped into the water. I acknowledge the efforts of the firemen in Crossmolina, Belmullet and Ballina who attended the scene, supported by the Grainne Uaile Sub Aqua Club. On my way here this morning, I stopped at Knock airport and met with an individual who was home for the funeral of that neighbour and loved one. There is a lack of maintenance of piers, whether it is lighting or power washing and cleaning. The gentlemen I spoke to this morning made a point about putting barriers in place at times of year when the pier is not being used actively. If you go into a filling station bathroom, a notice on the back of the door will say it was last cleaned by such-and-such on Tuesday. That basic standard should be applied to piers. There should be a standardised approach and a service level agreement with local authorities and contractors to put adequate lighting, proper safety barriers and a proper cleaning schedule in place, to ensure it is safe for pedestrians, tourists, fishermen and women, and anyone on the pier.
I call for an urgent debate. We need the Minister in the House. If the Minister is not satisfied with the local authorities, we need to summon the chief executives of the authorities, who are failing people in coastal communities.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:41+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-24