Vol. 547 No. 4
51 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the details of the settlement in relation to the land area at Tom Roe's Point Deep Sea Dock; if his Department settled the matter without consultations with individual companies and the Drogheda Port Company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3441/02]
The High Court action that the Deputy is referring to was initiated by the owners of the Waddington Estate which lies northeast of the Tom Roe's Point development.
Following advice from and with the agreement of both the Attorney General's Office and the Chief State Solicitor's Office, my Department reached a settlement with the Waddington Estate. The decision to enter into a settlement in this case was taken by my Department after full consideration of the ramifications for national ports policy as well as for the State's interest in the foreshore.
The settlement, while recognising the property rights of the estate owners, protected the current development and allowed Drogheda Port Company to proceed with their plans to develop an area to the west of the current facility, subject to the appropriate consent under the Foreshore Acts. Moreover, this settlement removes any doubts that the foreshore in question is the property of the State.
I can assure the Deputy that prior to and during the settlement talks there was contact between the legal teams of all the defendants, namely the State, Drogheda Port Company and Patrick Monaghan (Drogheda) Ltd.
