Ms Niamh McCarthy:

When the Coach Tourism & Transport Council of Ireland met the port officials, an operator asked very specifically why the third day could not be had at the start. The answer was that the third day needed to be kept on the off chance that there was freight. The port official was asked why, if the port were guaranteed a booking two years in advance by cruise ship, the ship would be refused on the off chance that the space may be needed for freight in two years. The answer was that the port needs the space for freight. A definite issue needs to be addressed. Questions have to be asked about the management of the space in the ports. I am no expert but if we could visit that it would be very valuable. We should not have to choose between cargo and freight and tourism. In a few years, and if there is a recession, if the cargo ships are not coming in, the cruise ships will not be doing so either. They will be in Amsterdam — they are movable assets. We need to be very mindful that the current stance is very short-sighted and characteristic of tunnel vision.