Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The team has done a great deal of good work on ports in recent years, all of it predicated on their importance, since we depend on seaborne trade. Ports are of great economic significance to the country's prosperity, being vital gateways for commercial freight and sea passengers. Almost all our overseas trade goes by sea, underlining ports' commercial significance and strategic importance.

That point is not always well understood, many people believing that airports are more important because they move through them personally. Measured by volume, 99% of Ireland's foreign trade uses maritime supply chains. Excluding Northern ports, through which a fair proportion of our trade still moves, the value of imports and exports through sea ports last year was estimated at €130 billion compared with approximately €7 billion through airports.

The cross-departmental team has been attempting to develop clear policies to equip the port sector and stakeholders to meet national and regional capacity and service needs over the next ten, 20 or 30 years. In particular, it seeks clearer, more focused, commercial mandates for the ports and boards to overcome some of their difficulties, including what Deputy Kenny mentioned, the encouragement of private sector investment and involvement, sanction in principle for the use of non-core assets to fund new port development, the encouragement of continued healthy competitive conditions, better consultation, and dispute resolution. It has examined in detail what will happen when Dublin Port hits its capacity limits and issues relating to the Harbours Act 1996. It has formulated a clear strategy to develop some of the other ports. There is a major development plan for the port in Drogheda, and for Greenore which has a different structure being a more private port. They are trying to maximise the use of the ports and to resolve some difficulties.

The Dublin Port tunnel is a major new element of the Dublin road network and will significantly benefit traffic flow in the Dublin area. We are very conscious that issues will arise following the completion of the port tunnel, pending the upgrade of the M50. The port tunnel was first mooted in 1992. At that time the issue was two ports, and there was a big row over the matter in the early 1990s when I was Minister for Finance. People should remember what the argument was about. It was proposed that the State build one and the private sector the other. The State built its tunnel but the private sector abandoned its contribution entirely. The argument concerned which project the State should build. The State decided to build the airport tunnel because it fitted in with the plan in 1990-91 to commence a route from Rosslare to Belfast. The other tunnel was the one going from Alexandra Basin to Heuston Station. At one stage, the private sector was well ahead in its preparatory work and was very interested in carrying it out. However, it abandoned the tunnel project in 1993 on the basis there would be insufficient traffic for two tunnels — we all know whether that was an excellent call. It was always envisaged that two tunnels would be built, a view with which I concur and in which I have tried to interest people. I still believe that no matter how late it is, another tunnel is needed because it is the only way to remove heavy traffic from Dublin. I still believe it should be built at some stage.

In light of the fact that only one tunnel is being built and that the M50 upgrade has commenced but will take between three and four years to complete, Dublin City Council has prepared its traffic strategy for the management of heavy goods vehicles, which will be implemented following the opening of the port tunnel. The council has put a considerable amount of work into this over the last 12 months to ensure optimal use of the port tunnel by HGVs, minimise adverse effects of movements within the city and manage the movement of vehicles outside the city. However, there will be difficulties in the short term. Deputy Kenny and I know the road. Based on the volumes, there will be difficulties until the M50 upgrade is completed, which will take between three and four years, until barrier-free access using more modern technology is provided, which will take a few years, and until the huge interchange on the Belfast Road above the port tunnel is built. There will obviously be difficulties until these necessary infrastructural projects are completed. Work on the M50 upgrade has commenced. The plaza, the introduction of better electronics and the new interchange are all essential parts of the infrastructure. Perhaps they are not necessary based on the current volume of vehicles but they will certainly be necessary by the end of this decade. I have successfully pressed in the capital programmes for these projects to take place. They can all be completed by 2010. It will take another four years to complete them but the interchange, the upgrade of the M50 and the plaza are all necessary.

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