Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his patience and forbearance in this long drawn-out debate on this amendment. I also thank him for his understanding of the positions taken both inside and outside the Chamber by Members. I fully endorse the position Senator O'Donovan has taken over the past several days and congratulate him on his tenacity and commitment in handling the debate. It proves an individual Senator can make a difference. The US President, Mr. Obama, says one can make a difference, and Senator O'Donovan has shown that by knowing one's brief and being committed to it.

I am grateful to him for giving way to allow me to bring the Kerry perspective to the debate. While the amendments concern the Bantry Bay position, they have clear repercussions for the proposed association of the Shannon Foynes Port Company and the Tralee and Fenit Pier and Harbour Commissioners. Whereas Senator O'Donovan has pioneered the case for Bantry, I am expecting, when the Bill finally reaches the other House, much will be said by all Deputies from County Kerry on the Fenit position.

I have much experience with harbour boards, having been a director on various port companies from 1991 to 2007 when I was elevated to this House. I was a member of the old Limerick Harbour Commissioners which was replaced by the Shannon Port Company and was subsequently transmogrified into the Shannon Foynes Port Company. The Department knew fully the historical difficulties of bringing together into one cohesive unit these two old rival ports. Many Ministers and Administrations countenanced doing it but walked away from it in the end. To his eternal credit, Deputy Fahey, the then Minister responsible for port authorities, seized the bull by the horns by bringing the two harbour companies together. It made much sense. With a stretch of only 50 miles of water in the estuary, it was ridiculous to have two competing authorities vying with each other for business and jealously guarding each other's secrets.

With that in mind, I would have thought the Department would leave the port authority structures on the Shannon Estuary alone for at least a generation to allow matters to settle. However, it has proposed that the Shannon Foynes Port Company should assimilate the Tralee and Fenit Pier and Harbour Commissioners. When I left the board of the Shannon Foynes Port Company, such a prospect was viewed with horror by the chairman, chief executive and directors. The feeling was that the company had enough on its plate.

It is one of the State's largest commercial ports and the best natural deepwater port in western Europe, outside of Rotterdam. It has much potential, some of which is being realised. The last the company needs is the singular focus it has on heavy commercial activity to be removed. It is the second largest bulkhandler and must manage freight in and out of Foynes. The company has responsibility for the movement of materials in and out of Aughinish Alumina, one of the most important industries to the economy. It is also responsible for freight and traffic in and out of Moneypoint and Tarbert power stations, as well as running the oil depot at Dernish Island for Shannon Airport.

The company's most recent project was to divest itself of non-core assets, many of which were located in the old Limerick docks. The Limerick Docklands Initiative was established, of which I was a strong supporter with the former chief executive, Brian Byrne, to release capital from non-effective properties which would be reinvested in Foynes and the outer estuary at Ballylongford, County Kerry. Plans are in place to build a major transshipment hub at the site. The Acting Chairman, Senator Coghlan, will also be aware of the exciting new LNG project at Ballylongford. Although An Bord Pleanála has found in favour of the project, there have been, unfortunately, some recent planning objections which, hopefully, will be dealt with. This project will be extremely important for the nation, will underpin and guarantee our energy requirements in the context of gas, will free us from our dependence on that infamous gas pipeline from Russia, will lead to the creation of quite a number of jobs and will provide a major boost for a population which historically has been in decline and which has again been affected following the downturn in the economy.

The Shannon-Foynes Port Company has more than enough to do, without being asked to take Fenit as a partner or to assimilate it. This is a bad match and it will make for a very bad marriage if it proceeds.