Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I come from a location in north Cork, which is the central point between Limerick, Waterford and Cork city. Recently, I attended a business meeting and it was acknowledged that the Waterford and Limerick regions were fast catching up and competing with Cork. One of the big benefits has been the infrastructure that has been in place. The tunnel under the River Shannon in Limerick has been a big boost to Shannon Airport and the companies in the region. A major bypass in Waterford is facilitating infrastructure in the port. I commend Mr. Whelan on bringing the port from the position it was in some years by reducing its debt and developing the container side of the business. With Brexit, would a roll-on, roll-off ferry be a possible option in Waterford Port?

Given the historical nature of Waterford port, are cruise liners making use of the port? They are an attractive option now that Dublin Port is seeking to reduce the number of cruise liner berthings there. Could Waterford Port use this opportunity and fill that void?

I am delighted to note the good occupancy rates of the commercial premises in the Shannon Group. Ms Hynes mentioned that 43% of properties were vacant in 2014. I was touring recently in the general Shannon Airport catchment area and I was amazed at the amount of industry and the number of industrial units in the area. Are the new jobs split 50-50 between foreign direct investment and indigenous companies?