John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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53. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in view of the proposal to put Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company under the aegis and in co-operation with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, if he will agree to a meeting with representatives of the workforce as they have requested; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22943/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The publication of a new National Ports Policy in March 2013 represents an important change in approach towards the Government’s management of ports as important assets and provides an overarching vision for the future development of the sector. The Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company has been designated as a port of regional significance and will be transferred to local authority control in due course.

My Department will initiate discussions with the port company, the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and the local authority to determine the most suitable method of transfer. The Department will also be required to introduce enabling legislation to enable the transfer to take place by amending the current Harbours Acts 1996-2009, as appropriate. 

As you can appreciate, as ports are commercial companies I do not get involved in the day to day operations of any port company or in direct meetings with their workforce. However, if the workers have any proposals in relation to the transfer for the Harbour Company to the local authority, I shall have them considered as part of the transfer process.