Mr. Lorcan O'Connor:

Port representatives use the argument that the port makes more money out of tonnage. The point is that what a ship weighs and its cargo are worth a great deal of money to the port. However, port representatives have admitted in their briefing documents to the Minister that they appreciate our sector is more profitable for the wider economy. Before Dublin Port officials closed their social media channels, they were trumpeting how much came through and how good it was for the local economy in Dublin. As part of this process they closed their social media channels because we were retweeting the positive stuff they had put up about it and they did not particularly like it. They had told everyone that they had grown the sector, that they were marvellous, that it was worth €50 million to Dublin and that it would be worth far more. They then had to take down those messages because the view had changed.