Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has any other plans to merge smaller commercial ports following the announcement that the Dundalk Port Company is to be merged with Dublin Port; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13691/11]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There are no such plans at present. The recession has inevitably had a negative impact on all the State port companies, although the impact has not been spread evenly among them. The continuing trend toward larger ships has also affected the level of business at some ports. However, the circumstances in each port are quite different and need to be dealt with on a case by case basis.

It is my intention to publish a revised ports policy document later this year, which will provide a reference point for future decisions in relation to individual ports. The policy document will follow up on a public consultation that took place last year. 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. However, the merging of smaller port companies with larger ones is certainly not the only option available. These wider policy issues will be addressed in the revised policy document.