Ms Niamh McCarthy:

Yes. None of the ports was consulted in advance. Obviously, this decision will also affect their business, but none of them was asked. Cruise Ireland members jointly and collectively advertise Ireland as a cruise destination, but none of them was told in advance. None of us was consulted. As business people, we all appreciate that the port makes more money from cargo. However, I have worked on cruise ships throughout the world and it is the same in every port, but they still manage to increase both alongside each other. That is the issue. Why does Dublin Port not recognise this? Last year it was still selling Dublin as the premier destination. If that was the case, from where is all of this coming? Why has it stopped suddenly? Brexit has been many years in the making. Port officials have known about it.