Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for Transport if in view of the fact that the majority of cargo freight lands on the east coast and that Ireland does not have the necessary infrastructure to deal with the distribution of this cargo, with only 3% of goods transported by rail, there are plans to use rail in a pro-active way to distribute such goods, or if there are plans to use ports in the north west coast such as Lisahally in Derry or Greencastle for landing of cargo freight; his views on whether Ireland should be exploring the greater use of sea freight as a solution to congestion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17273/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland, as an island, is dependent on seaborne trade. Our ports are vital gateways for commercial freight and sea passengers, with over 95% by volume of the island's overseas trade going by sea. Naturally given the State's geographic position the majority of the State's port capacity is located on the East and South coasts.

The position in relation to rail freight is that Iarnród Éireann continues to pursue a policy of growing its rail freight business where opportunities present such as in bulk and trainload traffic (where a company hires the entire train for a rail freight journey) and it has made progress in growing the rail freight business in areas where it holds a competitive advantage over road haulage, for example in the movement of mineral ore and pulpwood.

With regard to the promotion of the use of sea freight, there are a number of EU funded programmes, namely Marco Polo II and Motorways of the Sea, which are available to any enterprise. The Irish Maritime Development Office promotes these programmes and publishes full details on its website www.imdo.ie . The IMDO is available to encourage and assist with any application under these programmes.