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

As the Deputy is aware, Dublin Port Company is responsible for the State’s largest port and handles over 40% of the total tonnage in any given year at Irish ports. The company’s importance is recognised in the national ports policy, which designates the company as a tier 1 port of national significance and includes the continued commercial development of the company as a key strategic objective. The company has published a master plan, which is available on its website and outlines its view of the challenges and opportunities for the period 2012 to 2040.

As the Deputy states, there is a proposed regulation on port services and the financial transparency of ports, published by the European Commission in late May 2013 and currently under consideration by the European Parliament’s transport committee and also by member state officials at Council level. My Department published a regulatory impact analysis in August 2013 outlining the regulation’s proposals and circulated it among the relevant stakeholders, including the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. My Department's analysis, supported by submissions received during the consultation period, was that the proposed regulation would have little impact on how port services are provided in Irish ports. As part of my Department's consultations, no specific or general concerns were raised about the impact of this proposed directive on union involvement or worker participation in Irish ports; nor have any such concerns been raised in response to the national ports policy, published in 2013.

In late November 2013, the Competition Authority published its review of competition within the ports sector This report states that competition is working well in some areas, but the authority makes a number of recommendations for consideration that it believes will further improve competition in the sector. In regard to Dublin Port specifically, the Competition Authority has made two specific recommendations. As stated in National Ports Policy, I am committed to issuing a reasoned response to the Competition Authority’s recommendations within six months of the publication of the report.

The company recently published on its website a franchise review consultation document that outlines its views on the future management of port service operations within the port, which my officials are considering.

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