Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

Some of them do not have many more than that. Dublin, Waterford and Cork are large but there is a big difference between Dublin and New Ross. The general view behind the recommendations to decrease the number was that it would lead to a more focused board.

With regard to the other issue raised concerning local authority members, the two major reports on this matter, the statutory performance audit of port companies in 2001 and the 2003 high-level review of State commercial ports, concluded the practice of statutory local authority representation on port company boards should stop. The rationale for their continued representation is not as clear as it was prior to the 1996 Act when the boards had a different form. The boards had the same purpose then but the board members were from various walks of life.

Since the introduction of the 1996 Act and with the evolution of the commercial State port companies the industry has changed. It has opened up and we have seen a major organisational and cultural change within the ports. While substantial valuable inputs have been made, the rationale for local authority representation on the boards is not as compelling as it used to be. Local authorities do not nominate directors to the boards of other State companies such as the airports.