Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak about this important legislation as it applies in my constituency. Drogheda Port Company is named here as a port of regional significance. It is clearly intended that it will be catered for under this framework legislation. As Deputy Dooley, our spokesperson, has clearly intimated, the exact detail of how the changes will be implemented will come at a later stage. I would have thought that particularly on Second Stage, there was a need for some spelling out of how the envisaged structures would be put in place.

Due to its location and its close proximity to Dublin, perhaps the expansion and development of Drogheda Port has not materialised at the pace one would like to see. I have a few questions. There are really two local authorities in respect of Drogheda Port - Louth on one side of the river and Meath on the other. Will the port be transferred to one or the other or will it be a joint venture between the two counties? What sort of discussions have taken place with the management of the respective local authorities about the transfer?

Are the local authorities happy about accepting responsibility as envisaged in this legislation? Are they unhappy about it? Are some local authorities in such a difficult financial position that the addition of responsibility for ports to their financial demands would create further woes for them down the road? It seems that this is an issue that needs to be teased out.

Anyone who has been in the political arena for some time will realise that water infrastructure is expensive. I refer to the Drogheda situation where the capital expenditure was quite substantial for the repair of a harbour wall. Under the new arrangements, who will foot the bill for this type of work? Will it be the new port company structure or the local authority? Will the Department supply grant aid and support?

I refer to the silting up of the shipping lane. Every three or four years it is necessary to bring in the dredger at significant cost to ensure the shipping lane is clear of silt. If the harbour silts up, the weight and volume of ships that can use the port is considerably reduced.

It is a matter of looking at the new concepts and deciding whether they are self-sustaining. In the medium and longer term, will the ports be able to generate the revenue that will ensure their sustainability? Will subvention be required from the local authority or from some other source? This is a question that needs to be answered at this time.

A further query arises with regard to the Drogheda situation. If it is decided to proceed with a new port development along the east coast, bearing in mind the movement of population into the province of Leinster, in particular, in the greater Dublin area or in counties Meath, Louth or Kildare, could a change in population require increased port capacity development along the east coast? In that case, Drogheda would be an obvious place for that development. If such a development were to be undertaken, who would finance such a large project? Would it be the responsibility of the local authority or of the local authority combined with the relevant oversight Department? I acknowledge that the secondary provisions in the Bill will cater for much of this work but it might be useful at this time to inform the House what would happen in those circumstances.

I refer to the business planning model for the various regionally significant ports. If particular models or variations of business models have been assembled, these would be very useful for the enlightenment of the discussions between the Department and the local authorities who will be taking responsibility for the ports. I presume the issue of corporate governance will be dealt with in the statutory instruments and secondary provisions. How will suitably qualified people be chosen for appointment to the board? Will qualifications and suitability for board membership be decided on the basis of commercial experience in the port or on the basis of some previous experience, knowledge and involvement as a member of a local authority? These are the questions that need to be answered. It would be very useful to have some indicative answers at this point. Perhaps the Minister of State would address these issues in his concluding statement.

See this speech in context