Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a person (details supplied) has received any director's fees from November 2011 to June 2012 in view of reports that he has not attended meetings over this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45200/12]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a person (details supplied) has received any directors fees from November 2011 to June 2012 given reports that he has not attended meetings over this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45202/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 83 together.

The payment of directors' fees is a matter for Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company in accordance with the code of practice for the governance of State bodies. While the code requires companies to provide details of attendance in their annual accounts and outlines a number of other requirements in regard to the payment of fees, it does not link the payment of fees to attendance at a particular number of board meetings in any given period.

The company's annual accounts and chairman's report for 2011 confirm that all fees were paid in accordance with Government guidelines. Furthermore, the company’s accounts also detail individual directors’ attendance at board meetings for the period covered by the accounts.  The person referred to attended six out of a possible nine meetings in 2011. This information is publically available. I am not yet in receipt of the company's annual accounts for 2012 nor was I aware of the reports to which the Deputy refers.

The person's tenure on the board of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company expired in June 2012 and has not been renewed.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. These concerns arise as a result of the extreme pressure on harbour workers, a couple of whom are in the Visitors Gallery today. For example, four of the nine harbour policemen have been put on one week a month temporary lay-off for an indefinite period because the company says it does not have the money to pay them, which is a major hit for those concerned and for the amenity in terms of safety. It is incredible that the company does not have the money to pay the workers who protect the harbour and users of it while a director who is known to have been overpaid expenses, which were supposed to have been returned - I am not sure if they have been repaid - and does not attend meetings continues to receive directors' fees, expenses and so on. Earlier we discussed the payment of obscenely high and unjustifiable salaries to people at the top. It appears as though there is one law for directors and executives and another for low to middle paid workers who are being hit severely by way of temporary lay-off. Also, the superintendent of the harbour has been suspended in what appears to be a deepening rift between management and the workforce in the harbour.

I ask that the Minister investigate these matters and try to bring fairness to bear, thus ending the situation whereby people at the top are paid large amounts of money for doing very little while front line workers, who ensure the harbour functions in the interests of the public, are hammered in an unacceptable manner.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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This issue relates to a person who is not here to defend himself and is no longer a member of the board of the harbour company. I do not believe people who do not turn up for board meetings should be paid directors' fees. That situation must change.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I welcome the Minister's response, with which I agree wholeheartedly. Given that the Minister is reviewing this situation - I can tell from the tone of his responses that he takes these issues seriously - how can we, as public representatives, best put forward our suggestions to him in regard to how this regime could be changed? I put it to the Minister that given the threat to the amenity and the workforce the best solution would be to abolish the board and executives. He could probably get representatives of the workforce or community to do the job on a voluntary basis, with direct control for operation of the harbour resting with the Minister, thus protecting front line workers. I would welcome the Minister's response in regard to the proposal to defend the jobs of front line workers and abolish the board, which appears to serve no function.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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We are in the process of appointing a new board and chairman. I am genuinely open to suggestions from people and stakeholders on how the harbour company should operate. However, whatever the final structure, it will need to operate on a commercial basis. Government subvention and taxpayers money is for schools, hospitals, pensions and support for the disabled, carers and the unemployed. We do not intend getting into the business of subventing harbours or port companies or any semi-State organisation, other than CIE.

I am interested in hearing any suggestions in regard to how the company can be put on a sound or commercial footing, under any structure. If the Deputy wishes to make a submission along those lines, I am happy to consider it and to then meet with the Deputy and others from the constituency on that basis.