Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It does. The tiering of ports largely follows the TEN-T guidelines as to what is a core port and what is not, and what is on TEN-T and what is not. Some take the view that governments can just put anything they want on the trans-European networks, but they cannot. There are certain criteria, and the ports that meet those criteria are Dublin, Cork, Shannon-Foynes, Rosslare and Waterford. We have classified Dublin, Cork and Shannon-Foynes as the tier 1 ports because of the level of trade they carry. In particular, Shannon-Foynes is a huge bulk port. I understand Galway accounts for less than 2%, perhaps less than 1%, of all trade by sea, so it is considered a regional port. Whatever happens, there is no State investment at all in the commercial ports and there are no Exchequer grants for the commercial ports, which operate entirely on a commercial basis in the same way that the ESB, Bord Gáis or any of those semi-States operate. There could be a State investment through the National Pensions Reserve Fund or the Irish Strategic Investment Fund, but that would have to be on a commercial basis and they would have to be sure they would get all their money back, plus a return.

We allow the ports to operate on a commercial basis and to put in their own planning applications. For example, Dublin has its plans for Alexandra Quay, Cork has its plans for Ringaskiddy and Galway has its plans for its new ports. The Department neither gives approval nor vetoes such planning applications but what is expected is that An Bord Pleanála, in making its decision, and it is the body that will make the decision, will have regard to everything it has to have regard to, which includes the ports policy, environmental issues and pretty much anything else.