asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he is aware that a number of ship owners in Arklow who are classed as groups comprised of individuals and a limited company have been refused the right to vote for the election of shipping members on the Harbour Boards of Dublin and Cork, owing to the non-inclusion of such groups in the appropriate section of the Harbours Act, 1946, and if he will take steps to have the Act amended at an early date to remedy this matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ship Owners' Right to Vote.
I understand that the returning officers at Dublin and Cork have taken legal opinion and have been advised that when a vessel is owned jointly by a number of individuals and a limited company, the owners do not come within any of the categories of qualified electors specified in Section 7 of the Harbour Act, 1946. These categories include (a) a body corporate, (b) an individual and (c) a group of individuals.
The next elections of these harbour boards will not take place until 1948. In the meanwhile I will have the matter considered in conjunction with any amending harbour legislation which may become desirable.