Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Senator Barrett is correct. For the life of me, I cannot believe we would want a harbour that would be managed by a load of "landlubbers", as Senator Barrett has called them. Surely the harbour master - the person who understands the harbour - is the one person we should want to be present at all board meetings. A number of harbours around the country are extremely peculiar in their design and their abilities. Galway Harbour, for example, is a tidal harbour. The gates in Galway Harbour limit the size of craft that can come into Galway. Surely we would want the harbour master, who understands these kinds of things, to be in attendance. I do not intend to waste the time of the Minister because I respect the patience he has shown. If the Minister accepts the proposal to replace the word "may" in section 13(3)(a) to "shall", there will be no need for sections 13(3)(b) or 13(3)(c). If we take this great step forward, we will all have a great Christmas.