Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The procedure is that the chairperson will be nominated by the Government. While there has been some delay in doing that and it has not been entirely under my control, I intend to nominate a new chair before the recess. The committee will then have an opportunity to question the chair, and I am sure Deputy Boyd Barrett will take an opportunity to do that with vigour.

The exact mechanism by which port companies will be transferred to local authorities is not yet decided. There are a number of different options and we have to pass primary legislation to enable us to do so. It probably will be next year before we are in a position to do that with new ports legislation. In addition, there are different models. In some cases, it may follow the harbours model whereby the companies just become part of the council. In other areas, it may follow a different model whereby the company becomes a corporate subsidiary of the council, in which case it would retain a board, a chairperson and a separate identity, and, essentially, the shareholder function would transfer from my Department to the council. However, that is not yet decided.

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