Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. It is great to have this Bill before the House. I thank Senator Barrett for tabling these amendments. They tie in with my concerns about Galway Harbour. I have grave concern about the Minister' recommendation that Galway Harbour come under the remit of Galway City Council.

I am familiar with how councils work. I was a member of Galway County Council. To say they have a mixed bag of duties is an understatement. I had grave concerns about the local enterprise offices going under their remit. At issue is a particular set of skills and expertise. I want to know the Minister's reasoning to justify placing a harbour such as Galway Harbour under the remit of Galway City Council.

I completely agree with Senator Barrett that it is a specialised business. Ports and harbours need dedicated staff who know their business. The Minister is familiar with what we are trying to achieve in Galway. We are trying to extend the port. It is now in a Bord Pleanála process. We had hearings some months ago as part of the process. Galway Harbour is a commercial port which has particular challenges around its depth and so on. That is all in the plans for expansion. I have listened to those in business who rely on it. According to the Minister's report, it is graded as a tier 3 port, and that is of major concern to us. At a minimum it should be a tier 2 port in order to attract funding from the European Commission trans-European transport network, TEN-T, in time. The plans are ambitious for the extension of Galway Harbour. They include bringing the city further out into the bay and making it a far more feasible option. I call on the Minister to respond to these issues.

Perhaps the Minister can explain something else for me. There was no consultation with the harbour prior to the issuance of the national ports policy which formed the basis of this Bill. Why was that? I have no doubt it preceded the current Minister's time in office. What were the commercial and economic reasons for the proposed transfer of ownership? There are no cost savings or synergies for the proposed transfer of ownership. There are no benefits, but I see downsides.

Again, I am very concerned about the classification of the port as a tier 3 port. As the Minister is aware, the port in Galway is one of five commercial ports to be designated as ports of regional significance. Two others, the ports at New Ross and Wicklow, will come under the remit of Wexford County Council and Wicklow County Council, respectively. The remaining three, namely, Drogheda, Dún Laoghaire and Galway, will remain as limited companies with their shareholding held by the chief executive of the local authority. The first two have been included with Dublin Port as being eligible for TEN-T funding, but Galway has been excluded. It is therefore the only commercial port of its size in the country to be excluded from TEN-T funding. Can the Minister tell me the reason for that? As the Minister is aware, Galway is critical to the balanced regional development of the country. It is a city of excellence when it comes to education and hospitals. Why are we being excluded when it comes to ports?

This is worrying given our ambitious plans for the growth of the city and the region. This classification of Galway as a tier 3 port could amount to a closing out of 20% of funding. We would be placed at a serious disadvantage and that is very worrying. Galway is the only port of its size in the country being denied this opportunity. I strongly believe the port of Galway should have been afforded the same status as the ports at Waterford and Rosslare - that is to say, tier 2 at a minimum. This would have made it a designated national port eligible for TEN-T funding. I believe the legislation is anti-competitive and discriminatory. In fact, it creates a monopoly on the east and south coasts, contrary to balanced regional development aims. The effect of not being a tier 1 or tier 2 port will make it extremely difficult for Galway to attract investment funds for the port extension.