Ivor Callely (Fianna Fail)

I listened with interest to Senator Buttimer and concur with much of what he said. As someone who goes in and out of the Cork port area on a regular basis, I congratulate the Port of Cork on its endeavours. As Senator Buttimer indicated, it has much on its agenda and it is developing well. There is huge potential and much work to be done in Cork port and I wish it well in its endeavours in that regard.

I indicate to the House and the Department my support for Senator O'Donovan. My mother is from the same town as the Minister of State's and I have been visiting it for a long time. I was born in May and visited the town in July. The town is close to my heart. I was there last weekend and will be there again this weekend.

What I have heard locally, which may be somewhat helpful to the Minister of State and the officials, is that locals are 110% plus behind Senator O'Donovan and his endeavours. Much of what he put on record was covered on local radio or in local print in recent weeks. It is important we recognise that he is a dedicated, committed and passionate public representative, representing the views of the local community and the people who have done well with Bantry harbour and outlining the importance of the harbour and the bay to his community. His request for the Department and the Minister to review what we ask is not unreasonable.

This is enabling legislation and if it is passed in its present form, the people who are so committed and dedicated to the Bantry region will no longer have the upper hand. It is not fair to put those people, including my colleague, Senator O'Donovan, in that position.

I also know a number of other people in the Bantry area, including the chair of Bantry Harbour Commissioners, Councillor Aiden McCarthy, who is a committed individual and a successful businessman. One might question why he devotes such an enormous amount of time to his community. The reason is he is committed to, and passionate about, the Bantry region.

Bantry Harbour Commissioners is made up of two local county councillors, two Bantry town councillors, two local people nominated by the chamber, two local people nominated by the port users association and three ministerial appointees. Often a journalist will delve into the three ministerial appointees and ask what Minister made the appointments and who were his or her friends. One of the appointees is a union representative while the two other appointees are very committed local individuals, one of whom is a councillor, Letty Baker, a well known name in the Bantry area, and is very committed to the development of the town. The other ministerial appointee is Kathleen Tessyman who has knowledge of the bay and who might have spent a number of years commuting on it to and from work. I do not believe one could get a better mix of people representing Bantry harbour.

I have spent much time in the region and enjoy the sea and water sports. I have probably done everything in Bantry Bay. I have also travelled from Dublin to Bantry Bay on a boat. One of the last ports of call for a proper marina located in a decent town where there are appropriate support facilities is Kinsale. After that, one has a long haul. While there are good facilities along the way, there are no proper marina facilities. We all know what it is like to get around Mizen Head. There is a long haul from Kinsale, getting around Mizen Head and going north. There is a small private marina in Bantry Bay, which is great, on Bere Island which is not really able to accommodate a large number of boats and is full most of the time.

If anyone were to ask me — not because of my connection with Bantry Bay — where I would locate a marina in that general vicinity I would have to say it should be in Dunmanus Bay or Bantry Bay. I understand Bantry Bay is one of the deepest harbours in Europe so it would probably be appropriate to accommodate various sizes of boats and yachts. Either one of them would be appropriate. One would question why it is not there already or if work is already being done there. Why would there be a commitment or who would have a commitment to have that type of facility? One would have to accept no one would be better than the local community, given the benefits that would accrue.

I take the opportunity to put on record my understanding that Senator O'Donovan secured in excess of €3 million for the dredging of Bantry Bay around the harbour area, which is very necessary. If it took place other developments could proceed. One could then, at that stage, accommodate and incorporate a marina, which would be a great development for the town of Bantry.

It has been brought to my attention that Murnane and O'Shea limited — Mr. Bob Murnane has been a great man for the Bantry town area and is an innovator, an entrepreneur and a man with great vision who has certainly done a major amount of work — did some work on the development of the inner harbour in June 2006. It has prepared a report indicating what could be accommodated by way of a marina in the inner harbour. I am not sure if one will have the same commitment to the project if there is enabling legislation stating, "We have pulled the rug. We now have the upper hand and can hand this to Cork Port and thanks for the work in the past". I am not sure if that is the correct way to go about business.

In the current climate, everything has changed dramatically and quickly. We are not talking about the economy of Ireland but about what is happening on the world stage. We in Ireland are not cushioned in any form or fashion from the economic and financial difficulties and the current situation has serious implications for us. When this type of thing happens and one is in conversation with others, someone often says at a time like this, we need to get back to basics, see what was done in years gone by and do it again. We need to start from scratch and go back.

It is interesting to note what President Barack Obama is doing in America, such as having house meetings, bringing Americans together, addressing their difficulties, uniting them and opting for change. It is being done through an address on the economic recovery plan. In doing so he is going back to the 50 states and asking people to meet, make decisions, identify issues and work locally.

The distance from Cork Port to Bantry is probably one of the greatest distances one could take in the geographic map of Ireland. I am not sure how long the journey would take by boat; it would probably depend on the type of boat one was on. The car journey is in the region of a two hour run. We are not talking about those at Cork Port being able to run down the road and see what is happening or having their finger on the pulse.

It is a unique situation. The local community is very committed and has very dedicated people who have done well. If Bantry Port was suffering, had failed in its duties, was in financial difficulties, had people who were not committed sitting or participating on a board, or people who were not even involved, such as those mentioned in the Murnane and O'Shea limited proposal, and was looking for someone to come and take over the unique situation prevailing in Bantry, perhaps at that stage we should look at Cork, if there was not going to be a commitment from anyone else. This was mentioned in the Murnane and O'Shea limited proposal.

I understand there is a high level review document, which is just short of 200 pages, and have no doubt there are lines in it indicating the reasons why the situation in Bantry Port should be changed, allowing for section 18 of the Bill which allows for the transfer of certain harbours under the Harbours Act. Equally, having been given the opportunity to study the review in a balanced fashion, and after hearing what Senator O'Donovan said over the last number of weeks on this issue, on reading his eight amendments in this section all I can say is I wholeheartedly support my colleague.

I want to give a clear message to the Minister of State and Department officials. I have not met one person in my visits to Bantry who said the Senator is wrong. I have not met one person who does not support the dredging of the inner harbour and the proposal for a marina development. I have not met one person who said there was no need for an extension of the pier. These are some of the principal issues the Senator and Bantry Port are seeking to resolve. People will say that Cork will go ahead and do those things anyway, and will work with local people and everybody will be happy.

Returning to the economic and financial position we find ourselves in, the first thing any logical person who lives a couple of hours drive from a place where one could sail a pleasure or sailing boat would ask is what is in it for us, whether there is money upfront or whether we will have to carry a burden. Those are reasonable questions for any authority to ask. If Bantry Port is seen as a profitable organisation, people probably would not have a great level of objection if a few bob came with the onerous task of taking on the challenge. They would look at the two main areas, Whiddy and the stone quarry.

I am not sure if Cork Port would have the same in-depth commitment to other aspects of the development of Bantry Bay, which I have already mentioned and will not go over again, such as the marina, dredging, the pier extension, leisure facilities and many other activities that happen in the bay area. Owing to the unique situation that prevails in Bantry, I ask the Minister of State to be reasonable and let us reach some level of compromise rather than putting this issue to the House for a decision, which would cause difficulty for some Members. I know what must be done, but it is not unreasonable to ask for a level of detailed negotiation to commence and be concluded with Senator O'Donovan before this matter is put to the House. Some of his worthy convictions and commitments, as contained in the amendments, should be accommodated in some form. That is the way the world is working today. We talk about openness, transparency and reaching consensus through social partnership, so we should act thus on this legislation.