Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. To be clear, there was a requirement for a daily service to mainland Europe pre-Brexit, not just after Brexit has happened, which will circumvent the land bridge and the need for many customs operations. Although those systems are in place and will be ready, the process has done nothing for investment in the port itself. The figure of €30 million the Minister of State mentioned relates to an investment by Iarnród Éireann in a reconfiguration of the port. It will involve an expenditure of approximately €1 million on a number plate recognition system for the port. That is the extent of the port's electronic upgrade.

In regard to TEN-T funding, as the Minister of State mentioned, tier 1 facilities can access a fund that is worth €400 billion. This is the fund Rosslare needs to access and it requires tier 1 status to do so. Although previous Ministers have said the tier designation is based on volumes, Shannon Foynes Port was made a tier 1 port even though it did not have the volumes at the time. The tier designation was applied for by the Government and the then Minister for Finance was from the county in which Shannon Foynes Port is located. From a national perspective, tier 1 status should be applied for in respect of Rosslare Europort. As things stand, the only funds it can access from the EU, based on its tier 2 status, is the fund of €30 million to which I referred. That funding has not been drawn by the port but represents a re-investment by Iarnród Éireann, which has taken more than €2.5 million out of the port for the past ten years without re-investment.

I ask the Minister of State to address the position in regard to a free zone. XELLS is not guaranteeing that Rosslare will be its chosen wind base. There is a very real possibility that the wind base will go to Belfast, which would be an absolute travesty for the country when we can prepare and make Rosslare a centre point not just for wind energy but for the future replacement of fossil fuel through hydro energy. I ask the Minister of State to give serious consideration to these matters.

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