Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I will not need the full 17 minutes, I am sure I can share time with someone. I congratulate the Minister on his appointment.

I spoke on the Bill prior to the summer recess and take the opportunity to reiterate some of the points I made at that stage. I welcome the Bill which will replace an Act of the Oireachtas which is almost 60 years old and which takes into account some of the changes that have occurred in the context of maritime issues during that period. It also demonstrates the fact that meaningful and effective reform takes time. In that context, there was widespread public consultation during the drafting process.

The Bill contains a number of important and positive provisions. For example, it is welcome that all ships - with defined exceptions - will be required to register to operate in Irish territorial waters. I also welcome the creation of a new centralised electronic register of ships. Section 24 demonstrates the flexibility required in that it makes provision for specific visitor registration for small craft scheduled to operate in Irish waters for less than three months. This is vital in the context of the marine tourism sector which gives rise to substantial economic benefits.

Evident in the Bill is the new focus on safety which lies at the heart of the work of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and which is championed by the Minister and Ministers of State. The provisions in respect of the seaworthiness of vessels and the obligation for vessels to be re-registered every ten years mirror those introduced in the area of road safety.

Section 17 deals with the appointment of registrars of ships, with subsection (4) empowering the Minister to appoint persons to carry out these duties. I note that the current arrangements for registration are undertaken by officers of the Revenue Commissioners and that this will continue until the Bill's various provisions have been put in place. It would be interesting to discover the Minister's views on this matter and whether registration duties and functions will be placed with an existing State agency or if a new one will be created for this purpose. The former would be more appropriate in maintaining the efficiencies we achieved in recent years in State agencies, particularly in reducing costs.

On the previous occasion I also pointed out that issues relating to national flags, national colours and their display were addressed in sections 34 to 38, inclusive. While this matter may seem antiquated or lacking in relevance to some, it merits the focus and attention afforded to it. Aside from the importance of identifying vessels, particularly for an island nation, the use of registration for commercial benefit is also important. In the past, a commercial entity transferred the registration of its vessels from Ireland to other jurisdictions. This was not the result of a lack of patriotism - the company involved was more than happy to use its Irish identity to build a competitive advantage - rather, it was for the purely economic reasons of cutting costs and reducing staff remuneration levels.

We cannot discuss legislation relating to shipping without referring to ports and harbours. Schedule 3 to the Bill sets out the ports wherein ships may be registered. Galway is listed in this regard and, as the Minister is aware, Galway Harbour Company recently submitted comprehensive plans for the redevelopment and expansion of the port. I fully support these plans and share the view that the expansion of Galway Harbour is essential to the sustainable development of the entire western region. However, I take the opportunity to reiterate my concerns about the reclassification of ports and harbours. The national ports policy proposes that Galway be reclassified as a tier 3 port, that is, one of regional significance. This fails to take into account the planned expansion of the port and the potential which can be realised when this development occurs. In my submission to An Bord Pleanála on the matter, I highlighted the example of Barcelona. Once predominantly concerned with commercial cargo, the port in Barcelona can now cater for nine cruise ships carrying 3,000 passengers each. At the height of the tourism season, therefore, some 27,000 additional visitors can be brought into the city of Barcelona and the surrounding region on a daily basis. Galway is a smaller port, but if it attracted even a fraction of that number of visitors, the benefits to the western region would be huge.

I am sure the Minister will have an opportunity to travel to Galway and meet the board of the harbour company in order that he might discuss its plans for the future and visit the port's existing facilities. Operations at Galway are tidal based at present and it is necessary for the port's gates to be opened before ships can be admitted. This means that admissions must be timed, which obviously limits the potential for expansion. The harbour company has plans to construct a new port. The existing port is located at the heart of the city, just a short distance from Eyre Square, and this gives rise to huge tourism potential. On the commercial side, the port currently caters for a small volume of total national shipping cargo. However, this is simply because investment on the scale required for expansion has not been made in the past.

The proposed development of Galway Harbour would involve two phases of land reclamation. The larger of these would involve the reclamation of some 19.6 ha and be necessary in order to facilitate the transfer of activities from the existing port facilities. A deepening of the access channel is envisaged, as is the putting in place of a turntable to allow for safe docking at the proposed new pier. A breakwater would be constructed at the head of this pier, while a second breakwater would allow for the construction of a 216-berth marina. The new port would not be dependent on tidal flows or the opening of gates. This would, therefore, allow for more regular shipping activities. It would be a modern facility and allow Galway to compete with other port cities in attracting activity. The new facility would provide greater scope for increasing the number of activities carried on at the port, particularly in terms of the rail access it is planned to provide. I highlighted all of these issues in my submission to An Bord Pleanála. The harbour company's plans are realistic and will come to fruition. I am confident that the requisite investment will be made. There are other ports in the country and Deputies who represent other constituencies have opposed the plans for Galway and made submissions in that regard. They obviously oppose the plans for Galway Harbour for their own reasons, but the stakeholders in the west are fully behind them.

I am confident that the reforms contained in the Bill will benefit the entire marine sector. I look forward to further reforms being introduced and implemented in the future.

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