Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for his kind words and the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this topic. Dún Laoghaire harbour is very dear to me. I have been a resident and a native of Dún Laoghaire for almost 72 years and I know the harbour backwards. I was also Minister for the Marine and Minister for Defence in the mid-1990s when we put through the Harbours Bill, which is now the Harbours Act. The legislation incorporated a new way of managing Dún Laoghaire Harbour, that is, through a State-owned company with a board of directors.

Since that time, people have had other ideas about what should or should not be done with Dún Laoghaire harbour. This is a valuable and quality national harbour, as are the facilities attaching to it. Anyone who takes a walk out there on a Sunday afternoon will see thousands of people walking the piers. It was infamous from the days of the mail boat and dating back to when kings and queens landed in Dún Laoghaire on their way to visit Dublin city. Its history speaks for itself.

That is all very well but we now have a harbour company that does not know where it is going because people have been changing their minds - I do not include the current Minister in these comments because he has only recently taken over. I sincerely hope he concurs with my view, that is, that the harbour company should remain as it is.

The harbour is a valuable asset. It had the potential to produce well in excess of €10 million in revenue every year. Unfortunately, however, because of the demise of the Stena ferry, revenue is now hovering at approximately €4 million or €5 million. There is hope that the harbour will attract another carrier in the not too distant future, perhaps next year. Those involved are also developing plans for cruise ships to visit Dún Laoghaire harbour because of the massive development that has taken place in Dublin Port. Thankfully, because of the economy, business in Dublin Port is increasing on a daily basis. Therefore, harbours like those at Drogheda and Dún Laoghaire have become valuable assets.

Two important issues arise. The first is the management of the future of the harbour. I am making this suggestion to the Minister because I believe it is such a valuable asset and not because I was the person who put through the legislation, together with my colleague, a former Tánaiste. The idea that it would be put into the hands of the local authority is questionable. Frankly, the local authority does not have the expertise to manage harbours, especially commercial harbours that can produce revenues on that scale. Specific expertise in managing the various facilities is needed, whether they are leisure facilities or commercial facilities. The Stena port area can be developed for leisure, commercial and residential facilities. That part of the harbour does not interfere with the normal day-to-day walking tourist in the area.

Will the Minister look into the whole question of title? This arises from the transfer of the harbour to the harbour company. As the Minister with responsibility at the time, I understood that all the assets, including the title of the buildings and the foreshore, would automatically transfer to the harbour company. Now, apparently, there is a dispute over whether some of the developments put in place for the ferry service are, in fact, the property of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government on the basis of the Foreshore Act. The title issue is most important.

Second, will the Minister once and for all establish the future of the harbour company in order that we are not left wondering where it is going to end up? Will it end up as part of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council or with another port company? That is the purpose of my requesting the forbearance of the Minister this afternoon.

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