Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government's ports policy was attacked with an astounding level of ignorance a while ago. It is obvious to me that the Deputy in question has not read the ports policy. If he has read it, he certainly does not know about the levels of tonnage that are being transferred through most of the ports he mentioned. I remind him that the Shannon Foynes Port Company conveys in excess of 10 million tonnes of cargo into and out of the State on an annual basis. It is justifiably in a position where it can be rated as a tier 1 port of national importance. That is why its designation as such has been broadly welcomed by chambers of commerce and representative groups and by all political representatives in the mid-west region, as far as Galway, with whom I have dealt. That is why I find the Deputy's position astounding. Maybe his party might like to clarify its position. I note the absence from this debate of its spokesman on transport. The party in question is all over the place in regard to what it wants for the development of ports. That is certainly true in the case of the Shannon Foynes Port Company. If the Deputy is going to play politics with this matter, I will make a political charge as well by saying it is time for his party in the Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary area to decide, for once and for all, whether it is in favour of running down the Shannon Foynes Port Company.