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

I did not interrupt the Deputy. I listened to his rant for long enough. I think everybody in here has had to listen to it as well. To be quite honest, if the person who is now making the charge against the policy had engaged with the ports companies and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport at this committee in any kind of constructive way, if he had spoken to the people who are actually using the ports in question or if he had looked at the depths of water that are available, he might be aware that - to put it very simply - when one is bringing a big ship into a port, one needs to be able to berth it without hundreds of millions of euro having to be spent on unnecessary dredging. When one has berthed the ship, one needs to be able to unload it. When one has unloaded it, one needs to be able to convey the cargo by road or rail. That infrastructure is already in place on the western seaboard. I find it absolutely astounding that anybody from the Fianna Fáil Party would attack Shannon Foynes Port, and counties Clare and Limerick, in the manner that has been done at this meeting. It is not the first time it has been done. The absence of Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on transport, Deputy Dooley from County Clare, speaks volumes in this regard. I would imagine that he is mortified by what is being done in the name of Fianna Fáil in here today.