Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Gallagher, for taking this Adjournment matter. On 5 April, Limerick County Council received a planning application from Shannon Foynes Port Company for the reclamation of 0.9 hectares and the replacement of the public slipway. The port company enraged the local community when it decided to block off the public slipway with boulders on 15 April. I received a telephone call notifying me of this action on the part of the company. I went to Foynes and saw what it had done.

As a native of Foynes whose late father and whose relatives were synonymous with the development of the port, I was also annoyed by the port company's actions. I subsequently contacted the Department of Communications, Marine, and Natural Resources and informed it of developments. On 18 April, the coastal zone management division wrote to Limerick County Council informing it of its concerns. The letter stated, "In the circumstances, the Department considers that it would be inappropriate for the council to consider any application from the company in respect of the proposed developments on State-owned foreshore." Surely the port company resolved the issue of a foreshore licence before applying for planning permission.

On 3 May 2005, the port company withdrew its planning application. Not only had the Department expressed its objections but there were also objections from within the community, with further objections to follow. Rather than accepting the inevitability of the withdrawal of the planning application, the chief executive, on behalf of the port company, issued an inflammatory statement preceding the public meeting held on 3 May. It states: "The company has no option but to assume that the community has decided that the port activities of the company are unwelcome at Foynes". It also states: "The company has learned of a co-ordinated movement towards objecting to developments at Foynes Port in County Limerick". These are disgraceful statements about a community that has been very tolerant over the years and which has shown much good will towards the port company.

Rather than criticising the community, the chief executive should concede that the approach adopted was totally wrong. I ask the Minister of State to issue an instruction to the chief executive and his board to have proper discussions with the local community in Foynes on the various port-related issues that have arisen. This would be important to ensure that the community and port company can act in harmony for the betterment of Foynes.

I thank the officials in the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to whom I spoke on a few occasions about this issue. They were most helpful and appeared to be annoyed at the problems in Foynes.