Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I move amendment No. 10:

In page 10, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following:

"(ii) to insert in paragraph (b) the following new subparagraph:

"(iii) an annual report on the status of all leases of the company's lands." ".

The Minister referred to this issue on Committee Stage, where I raised it at length. It relates to the leasing arrangements that pertain in some ports and the difficulties that Dublin Port and one or two other ports got into in respect of infirm leases and leases that had deteriorated over the years. The Minister stated that he would expect to have information on leasing and so on in the company accounts and the annual reports of boards. Can he specifically indicate to boards, via guidelines, that they should provide an ongoing update on all leasing arrangements?

The Minister made the point on Committee Stage that when council representatives go on the boards, they become part of the boards and if they are doing their job, they are no longer directly representing the councils. This is true and the Minister mentioned on Committee Stage that they are obliged to withdraw during planning discussions and so on. However, given that the Minister's own nominees have such a function as members of the board, how are people outside the board structure, that is, the people as the ultimate owners of such companies, to know they are being well served unless they get some form of an update in this regard? I make this point given the history in a number of ports and in Dublin in particular.

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