Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

One very important part of our national infrastructure is ports and harbours. What is the point in the Government's passing legislation, such as the Harbours Act 2015, when nothing happens afterward? The Taoiseach probably helped to prepare the legislation given that he was Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport up to July 2014. The Act sets out future of ports of regional significance, including Dún Laoghaire Harbour, and this was supposed to reflect national ports policy. Two years on, however, nothing has happened to Dún Laoghaire Harbour. Under the legislation, responsibility for Dún Laoghaire Harbour was to be transferred to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

I told the Taoiseach repeatedly while he was Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport that there is a totally dysfunctional, out of control, unaccountable quango in Dún Laoghaire Harbour coming up with madcap plans that never materialise but cost a lot of money to dream up, such as giant cruise berths, which were shot down, floating pools, floating hotels and floating apartments. What is needed is for the harbour company to float off into history and for the harbour to be taken under the control of the people and the local authority, which will come up with plans that respect the unique heritage and importance of Dún Laoghaire Harbour and reflect the aspirations of people locally, instead of nothing happening. A lot of money is being wasted. There are major financial questions hanging over the harbour company after due diligence studies and risk assessments that go on and on but nothing happens. Will the Government play any role in expediting what were intended to be the consequences of legislation that was passed two years ago in respect of Dún Laoghaire Harbour?

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