David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Powering Prosperity is a fantastic policy document and I commended the Minister on it when he was before the Oireachtas committee last week, as well as the people who put it together. However, it is going to be diluted unless the port infrastructure is expanded. Without having a place to do a thing, you cannot do the thing. We cannot assemble the turbines, maintain them or service them if we do not have a place to assemble them in the first place. I understand that Cork is the only place where there is planning permission. It needs funding and it needs to expand, and a decision has to be made urgently on this. Will the Minister of State look at the shared island fund, for instance, to enable that to happen?

The other issue I raised last week with the Minister, Deputy Burke, was the fact that the port is also looking to expand onto some IDA property that is adjacent to the port facility in Ringaskiddy. I understand the port has spoken with the IDA but it needs political support and encouragement. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that Powering Prosperity benefits from maximum capacity and that we also examine making available IDA lands, perhaps on a long lease basis, so the port can do that as well.

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