Ms Nora Widger:

I will not address everybody individually but there are a couple of key areas on which I want answer. In particular, on Deputy Calleary's question on national ports, the national ports policy formally recognised that Waterford and Rosslare are ports of national significance. He asked about competitive advantage. The competitive advantage of Waterford and Rosslare is their proximity to the south of England and all that offers for economic development for us in the south east, and also mainland Europe.

On the connectivity issue, Waterford port is the only port which has direct rail connectivity for low-load container traffic to lift on and lift off. It is vital that the Government pursues a roadmap for Waterford port to give it new impetus and energy to develop to its potential, and Rosslare likewise. During the boom, Dublin Port grew as a result of all of the imports coming into the country and the ancillary services - distribution centres - that were built up closely associated with it. Waterford and Rosslare, and the south east ports, need the Government, as part of the national ports policy, to formally adopt a new roadmap for the south east ports.

On the airport, I am pleased to hear Deputy Deasy refer to €1.25 million, which seems like a small sum of money to get an extended runway in Waterford airport, which is vital for its future and survival.

With regard to the ongoing talks with various agencies, I will let Mr. Michael Walsh, Waterford city manager, take that up. He sits on the board there. On connectivity to the rest of Ireland, the M9 now offers fast access from Dublin to Waterford from the point of view of FDI companies investing in Waterford. Moving on to the FDI issue,-----