Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 233: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the future for Dundalk Port Authority; and the future use of the port itself. [11968/11]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The current recession has inevitably had a negative impact on the finances of all the State port companies. Dundalk Port Company, being one of the smallest ports, has been badly hit. From a high of 221 ships in 2006, only 64 ships entered the port in 2010, and the figures for 2011 show no signs of improvement.

Earlier this year, an independent business review of the company was carried out. The review examined all the possible options for dealing with the current situation, including the prospects for recovery and the possibility of amalgamating the company with another State body. I am currently considering this report and I will make a decision regarding the future of the company shortly.

A public consultation on future ports policy took place last year and the intention is to publish a revised policy document by year end. A key policy issue raised in the consultation is the current structure of the sector, whereby the State owns ten separate port companies of very varied size. The recent McCarthy group report recommended that the number of port companies be reduced through amalgamations. These wider policy issues will be addressed in the revised policy document.