Mr. Howard Knott:

I will respond to some of the issues raised by Deputy Ellis. The issue of the freedom and ability of a port company to operate in a fully commercial manner is probably the greatest concern the Irish Exporters Association, IEA, brings to this meeting. It may be an over simplistic way of putting it but when one is within a local or national authority or, even worse, a European authority, making decisions can take time. If one is in a private commercial company, however, making decisions can be done quickly in response to the needs as perceived. It is critical that nothing is done in the act, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that would result in the people operating any one of the ports we are discussing feeling frustrated in their ability to generate more business for their community or the businesses operating in that community.

The critical issue is to have clear lines of attack to allow the company to operate in a commercial manner, subject to the discipline of working within its community, as identified by the local authority.

I propose to refer to some of the constraints that have been included in the Bill. Those who are not professional politicians can become a little mystified when reading legislation.