Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome to Minister to the Chamber. Obviously he has been here before and it is great to be back in the old Chamber of the Seanad. I requested that the Minister attend today to discuss the national strategy of promoting viable trade routes between southern Ireland and the Continent, which is a major issue at the moment when Brexit is taken into consideration, and how connectivity and trade routes can be improved. I am speaking specifically about such routes as the car ferries on the Cork-Swansea route, which left us many years ago, and the viability, in particular, of the French ferries, which are very important for our industries in both directions. Brittany Ferries runs a fantastic operation but it is seasonal and operates at certain times. It also operates another operation to the north of Spain which is also seasonal. Such connectivity is a major issue for a growing economy such as in Cork and how we can promote this kind of interaction between both France and Ireland to ensure that the seasonal element of the ferries can be extended to a year-round commercial entity.

This is one of the key issues for both tourism and connectivity. Not alone will that promote the trade in vehicles but will also provide for the transport of containers. At the moment if one has a container and needs to get it to the Continent, the Dublin Port scenario, unfortunately, comes into play. With the potential we have in Cork, in particular, we need to be looking at viable options for promoting Cork and its port and to then drive on to ensure that we have these viable trade routes.

This conversation is taking place in the context of the Brexit debate. The Minister is very up to date on that issue and has made some very keen statements in the last number of weeks on it. I need that reassurance that we have that strategy, that potential and have those trade routes under way to ensure that, as we are going forward, they will be a real part of our strategy in promoting the southern region of Ireland, in particular.