Mr. Eugene Drennan:

My apologies, Deputy Howlin referred to my statement on missing a golden era, which was mentioned in the Wexford People. I said that because we are two years in now. Iarnród Éireann, the old CIÉ, had been in charge of the port. It was one of the mainstays of making money for it and it was profitable throughout the years. The infrastructure is still lousy and we are two years in. I was in Zeebrugge in the last two weeks and I will be there again tomorrow, and I also visited Dunkirk. Members should see the phenomenal rate of improvement taking place in those ports. Zeebrugge is overwhelmed by electronic cars coming in from China. There must be 100,000 cars in the totality of the port. One company which asked me to go out there is caught with 12,000 cars. The port had to apply to the local authority to be given another area of ground. While it is assigned to the port, it is still the property of the local authority there. It applied to the local authority and was given permission to use it. The subcontractor came in and hardcore was laid. The yard was completed within two to three weeks and the whole process took three months. We are two years in and we still have not seen an improvement. Cars arriving in Rosslare are being parked in muck. We cannot get drivers to arrive in time for ferries. It is a controlled process. Neighbours and local people in Rosslare are rightly complaining. Much of the ground owned by the State and its agencies near the port for customs and agriculture purposes is not used other than when the boat arrives. Some alleviation could be done in that port by the Office of Public Works.

I was taken to task in a whisper when going to the port. I was told it was the OPW's fault because it was the lead. That is nonsense. It is always somebody else's fault. Forget fault. I am not talking about fault; I am talking about progress and getting it done. If it is the OPW's fault now because it has been allocated it, what happened over the past 50 years? Shape up and get on with it.