Mr. Alan Robinson:

I must be cautious, as it is easy to get into hyperbole. However, there are huge possibilities and opportunities for the docklands. One project involves Grand Canal Basin and the graving docks at its eastern end. The basin and the docks were built in 1796 and they are magnificent elements of Dublin's Georgian heritage. If one walks by Grand Canal Basin on an average day or even at the weekend, it is empty. If one sold that for €100 million to a private contractor, one might think it was worth it, but I guarantee that next summer they would have yachts pouring into the place. I do not suggest privatising it and selling it off. I am suggesting, however, that we wake up to this remarkable infrastructure.

The European Commission has identified marine tourism as one of the significant growth areas for the European Union over the next ten years. We have an unused basin that was built for 600 ships under sail. We have fantastic Georgian graving docks. While they are smaller than the ones in Belfast, they are ours and they can be used for all sorts of things. One can be used as a graving dock again, as there is none in Leinster, according to the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland. Another can be used as a swimming pool and the other as an outdoor music venue. A park can go around it. If one got 100 ships in, the average spend, according to a recent Dutch survey, would be €1,000 per ship. That is investment that could go into the docklands every day which would facilitate the creation of small and medium enterprises in the area, create a great many jobs and make the docklands an even more attractive location for international businesses as a place full of life and vibrancy. That is just one possibility. Imagine if a city did not have the basin and the graving docks. How much would it spend to get them? It is madness that they are not used.