Vol. 1057 No. 5
1. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the work of both his Department and the IDA on the issue of the planned closure of a plant (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30099/24]
The Minister will be well aware of Becton Dickinson's plans to close its Drogheda operation, which has been there for 60 years. I place on record my gratitude to the Minister for having met some of the local TDs, including me, last week, for his continued engagement with IDA Ireland on this matter and for meeting the trade unions and shop stewards yesterday. He might outline what he plans to do about this matter in the coming weeks.
I thank the Deputy. The recent announcement from Becton Dickinson, BD, to close its Drogheda facility over the next two and a half years is extremely disappointing, especially for the staff and their families impacted by the decision. I assure the Deputy the Government is on hand to support those employees as they seek alternative employment. IDA Ireland has regularly engaged with BD on potential supports to its four Irish sites, including that in Drogheda. In particular, supports for staff training and upskilling were outlined, along with sustainability and decarbonisation initiatives. On being notified of the BD board decision, the IDA reaffirmed the supports available.
The IDA is committed to working with BD over the next two and a half years to market the Drogheda site to potential new IDA investors. The IDA will also highlight the skills of impacted employees with other employers in the region, given that a number of IDA client companies in the north east are recruiting.
As part of the Government's regional strategy, we will continue to target new investment for the north east, with Drogheda and Dundalk designated as regional growth centres in both the national development plan and Project Ireland 2040. Furthermore, the IDA has added two landbanks in Drogheda and Dundalk to be marketed to potential future investors in the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, EI, portfolios.
I will discuss the BD decision and the company's wider plans in Ireland with the BD leadership team when I meet them on my US trade mission next week. I do realise the stress this is causing, with families having worked for generations at the plant, and what it means to the fabric of Drogheda. I met representatives of SIPTU and the shop steward Trevor was very impressive, outlining the plan and what he thinks went wrong. I agreed to take a submission from him to bring to New York next week.
SIPTU will respond to the Minister’s request to provide it with a submission. I am grateful he agreed to meet the trade unions, especially the shop stewards, including Trevor McGinn, who is a very impressive shop steward representing the workers at that plant. He knows the operation inside out.
The concerns workers have are that they have not been given the opportunity themselves to make the case for their jobs to be retained and for BD to be retained in Drogheda. Later today, I will meet the UK and Ireland general manager and make the case that BD's position should be reviewed and that the trade unions and workers should be given the opportunity to make the case for these very important jobs to be retained in Drogheda. This is the only IDA-backed manufacturing facility of scale left in Ireland's largest town. The IDA has significant work to do to attract foreign direct investment in Drogheda and it needs to work harder. As we know, it is much easier to retain a job than it is to attract another one, and that is where our focus needs to be.
It was a privilege yesterday to meet Trevor, the representatives of SIPTU and the team, who are working so hard on behalf of employees on the ground, and to see their passion and what the plant means to the fabric of Drogheda because it is a very significant employer. I did agree to take a submission from Trevor but I was equally clear, as I have to be, that I was in no way raising expectations because we have to be honest with people who are in a distressing situation when they get news such as this. I reaffirmed our full commitment to working with all the staff members there and to bringing their views to the global headquarters in New York, where we will point out some of the key issues Trevor, the shop steward, and the team have been raising in connection with management, along with lines they think should continue.
Again, however, we are being very honest. I can point out these matters but it is a decision the board has made. It has reaffirmed that decision with its global board and we have to respect that. Equally, however, Drogheda has a lot of bright areas on which we work, such as the 157 acres of landbank between it and Dundalk, and we are prepared to work as hard as we can in the coming weeks.
It was just over two years ago that BD announced a €62 million investment in the Drogheda plant. At least in terms of its corporate communications, its proposition is that it contemplates 110 redundancies up to March next year and the additional 67 out to the fourth quarter of 2026. That is a long way away, so the case can be cogently made that market conditions can change, which we need to prevail upon BD, along with the need for it to work with the trade unions, the IDA, the Government and, indeed, Opposition TDs to secure as many of these jobs as we can. I do not accept that this is a fait accompli, notwithstanding what the Minister has said about the limitations he has. I appreciate he is seeking to manage expectations, which is the responsible step to take, and that he will take this case to the chief executive in New York next week, but when we look at Drogheda, there is a huge imbalance in our county. There are 23 IDA investments in Dundalk and only nine in Drogheda and the scale of those investments is much smaller, in terms of the job cohorts, in Drogheda than in Dundalk. A lot of work needs to be done on that. BD received investment of €807,000 in training grants from the IDA only last year.
I absolutely understand how important this is and give my firm commitment that I will do my very best when I meet senior management, including the group chief executive, next week. The BD site is utility rich and has a lot going for it. We will work on it with the IDA to ensure we will get a strong tenant in there. Deputies Nash and O'Dowd have consistently raised the need for investment there and we will work to realise that. The new 50,000 sq. m advanced factory unit, which now has planning permission, will be central to that, as the additional landbank will be, to bring good, high-quality jobs to the region and grow the economy there further. We are fully committed to that. I will revert to the Deputy regarding how next week goes.
2. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will commit to supporting a campaign (details supplied) and its six asks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30132/24]
Respect at Work is a civil society campaign aimed at improving workers' rights in Ireland. Will the Minister of State commit to supporting this campaign and, specifically, its six legislative asks?
I am aware of the Respect at Work campaign, which is seeking new protections for workers wishing to organise in their workplaces. These proposals will be considered in the context of Ireland’s publication of an action plan to promote collective bargaining, as required by the EU directive on adequate minimum wages.
Article 4 of the directive, promotion of collective bargaining on wage setting, aims to promote collective bargaining on wages in all member states. The directive requires member states in which the collective bargaining coverage rate is less than 80% to provide "for a framework of enabling conditions for collective bargaining" and to publish an action plan to promote collective bargaining. The deadline for the action plan to be submitted to the Commission is the end of 2025 but the Government intends to publish it ahead of that date.
A technical working group has been established with Department officials and our social partners, including SIPTU representatives, to consider the content of the action plan. The working group has had three meetings to date, the most recent of which was this week, and has received proposals on some of the issues raised in the Respect at Work campaign, including legal protections for trade union members and trade union access to workplaces. The Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, met with the social partners in the context of the Labour Employer Economic Forum plenary meeting held on 24 June 2024 at which Ireland’s action plan was discussed. It will be further discussed at a meeting I will chair in July on the report of the LEEF high level group on collective bargaining and at a meeting of the LEEF subgroup on employment and enterprise which the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, will chair in September.
I would like to stress that the Government fully supports the right of any worker to join and be active in their trade union. Employees have the right under the Constitution to form associations and trade unions. Under Irish legislation, an employee cannot be discriminated against or dismissed because they are a member of a trade union.
People are being discriminated against and they are being dismissed because of trade union activity. The simple fact is that if they were not, the Respect at Work campaign would not have come into being. While I completely understand the Minister of State's position with regard to the length of time this is going to take, it is open to the Government to act now. I asked a fairly simple question, which is if the Minister of State supports the six legislative asks. That should not contradict anything she has said or cross over it. She should be able to say to me very clearly that she does or does not support them. The six asks relate to protections for workers. Sinn Féin is fully committed to delivering the right to organise for workers, not simply the minimum allowed under the Constitution. As the Minister of State rightly points out, people have a right to be members of a trade union. They are not protected adequately because if they were, the Communication Workers Union, Mandate Trade Union, the Financial Services Union and SIPTU would not have come together to bring the Respect at Work campaign into being. Does the Minister of State support the six legislative asks which will deliver protections for workers when they are trying to get organised in the workplace?
The Respect at Work campaign has six recommendations seeking new protections for workers seeking to organise in workplaces. These proposals are being discussed and will be considered in the context of the action plan to promote collective bargaining. These discussions are ongoing and are happening at the moment. They were discussed at a meeting of officials in the technical working group this week. They will be discussed at a meeting I am chairing this month. They will be discussed in September at a meeting the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, is chairing. I also note that in the past week or so, the Taoiseach has committed again in this House that he wants to see progress on the action plan. It is a key priority of mine. That is why we are having meetings on this. As part of that work on the action plan, the Respect at Work recommendations and asks will be looked at. As the Deputy knows, this area is complex and nuanced legally and constitutionally. We are actively, positively and constructively considering the asks in the campaign.
I will take that as a "No" for the moment. I am sure the Minister of State is aware that one in five workers in Ireland, over 420,000 people, are classified as low paid. More than 345,000 workers earn less than the living wage. Workers here work longer hours and have fewer days off than the European Union average. Last year, the WRC found that employment law was broken in every second investigation that they concluded. There is absolutely no doubt about it. Workers need the right to organise. They need the protection of their unions. The Minister of State will find that where workers are represented by a trade union, this is reflected in decent terms and conditions of employment. The six legislative asks, which I note the Minister of State is not committing to this morning, provide protections for workers who are trying to get organised. Clearly there is an issue with regard to workers needing that protection; otherwise, the trade unions would not be campaigning for it. As I have said, Sinn Féin is committed to delivering the right to organise, to include those protections for workers because they are very badly needed.
The Government is absolutely committed to protecting workers. The Doherty report, which we commissioned, is our path towards doing that. We got a progress report on it only this week and work is under way on its recommendations. That is agreed at this point as the review mechanism we are looking at to improve workers' rights. So far, only last month on 17 June, the Labour Court confirmed it will examine the scope for amendments of its rules to include technical assessors, and it will engage with my Department on the possibility of reconfiguration of membership of the joint labour commissions. The Workplace Relations Commission has begun work with a view to developing a voluntary code of practice on collective bargaining. My Department has asked our social partners to submit joint proposals for training around collective bargaining. That is the work that is happening in this space, the work that continues to happen, and the work we are committed to as a Government.
3. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the specific measures and initiatives his Department intends to implement to support and enhance the business environment in Dublin city centre, including addressing challenges such as high commercial rents, fostering innovation, improving infrastructure, ensuring a regulatory framework that promotes business growth and attracts investment, and tackling issues related to crime that may impact business operations and consumer confidence. [30519/24]
Motivated by the overreach of the Department into the affairs of Dublin City Council and the elected members there, I would like to ask the Minister of State about the specific measures and initiatives that the Department intends to implement to support and enhance the business environment in Dublin city centre, including addressing high commercial rents, fostering innovation, improving infrastructure and tackling issues related to crime that may impact business operations and consumer confidence.
The Government is absolutely committed to taking a holistic approach to rejuvenating Dublin city centre. We appointed a task force on 7 May 2024 to help the city centre to thrive as an attractive and safe city. Led by the Department of the Taoiseach, the task force held its first meeting on 21 May and has been asked to deliver its recommendations for consideration by the Government within 12 weeks. The task force is led by an independent chair, Mr. David McRedmond, chief executive officer of An Post, and its work is being supported by Dublin City Council, which is a really important player here.
Dublin City Council has lead responsibility for the promotion of economic development in Dublin city centre, but it works with a range of partners across all levels of government. Of course national policies have an impact on business in our capital city. My Department and its agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the local enterprise offices, are all committed to fostering innovation, supporting business growth and attracting investment right across the country, including here in our capital city. My Department is acutely aware of the pressures on businesses over recent years with Covid restrictions, the energy crisis and the increased cost of doing business. The Government set up emergency support schemes to get cash to businesses that needed it quickly. These included the temporary business energy support scheme during Covid and, most recently, the increased cost of business, ICOB, scheme. In May, the ICOB scheme was extended for an additional 14 days and a second payment was announced for the retail and hospitality sectors. As of 9 July, there were 8,755 registrations made to Dublin City Council for the ICOB scheme and 85% of businesses that registered with Dublin City Council have now received a payment. These measures were part of a package agreed by the Government to help to reduce costs for SMEs in Dublin and across the country. There were a number of initiatives rolled out in that.
The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, and that absolutely includes our capital city. Budget 2024 provided the highest ever allocation to An Garda Síochána, a 25% increase since 2020 to over €2.35 billion. The Deputy has touched on several policy areas which unfortunately are beyond my Department’s remit but I can assure him that there is cross-departmental work happening and that partners across government will continue to support efforts to make Dublin city centre an even more attractive place to do business, live, work and visit.
The Minister of State touched on a number of issues in a short time. The task force has the potential to be really important. Perceptions of safety in the city, and safety, are fundamental to fostering a positive atmosphere for retail and otherwise. When the task force reports in August, can the Minister of State guarantee that its report will be acted upon and budgeted for in terms of Garda presence, for example? Retailers are crying out for this when I engage with them. On footfall, hybrid work has changed the nature of commercial activity in the city. That began before Covid, I would say, when the M50 motorway was built. To get people back into the city we need to open the markets such as the Iveagh Markets and, on my side of the city, the market falsely known as the Smithfield market just beyond Capel Street. Maybe the Minister of State could engage with Dublin City Council in terms of getting those innovations open. At the top of O'Connell Street, the Ambassador Theatre is the first point of dereliction as you walk into O'Connell Street. Many retailers in O'Connell Street tell me consistently that this starting point of dereliction presents a poor narrative of the city to those walking in.
That is another innovation on which the Minister of State might engage with Dublin City Council.
The Deputy is right that the initiatives he referred to are all really positive. Investing in the old Ambassador Theatre building and reopening the Iveagh Markets would be really beneficial to Dublin. Those are the kinds of projects the task force is considering. The task force has already met. It has 12 weeks to report to the Government. When we receive the report, we certainly will look at its recommendations. The task force was led by the Department of the Taoiseach. As such, it will be up to the Taoiseach to consider the recommendations and take them on board. However, a whole-of-government approach will be required, including the Department of Justice and my Department from an enterprise and retail perspective.
I fully agree with the Deputy's point regarding footfall in Dublin city centre. I have had a lot of meetings with retailers based in Dublin city centre. Changed working patterns, including people working from home and engaging in hybrid working, have had an impact. We need to ensure Dublin is an even more attractive place to live and work in, and to visit, in order to negate the impact of changed behaviours.
I completely agree with the Minister of State. I have had some engagement with the task force on changes I would like to see made in the city. It is a cross-departmental body, with involvement by the Departments of Justice and Health as well as the Minister of State's Department. One of the recommendations I expect it to offer is to do with making the city more vibrant. That will require bringing people back in to live in the city. It is a recommendation that must be acted upon.
From the perspective of the Minister of State's Department and what she can do, it is an issue that the city closes down from 5 p.m. onwards. That creates a fairly hostile atmosphere within the city. It is dark and very few shops are open. What can the Department do for people who want a cup of coffee in the city after 7 p.m.? What can it do in terms of engaging with the Minister for culture, for example, on the possibility of keeping museums and parks open past 5 p.m.? All of that will create an environment in which people want to spend time. It will encourage them to spend money in the retail sector. The Minister of State's commentary suggests that is important to her. Such innovations will see Dublin thrive. I hope she will implement them.
The Minister, Deputy Burke, chairs a hospitality and tourism forum that looks at a lot of the issues the Deputy has raised such as access outside working hours to hospitality, including cafés, and the importance of having a vibrant night-time economy. The Minister co-chairs the forum with the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. That initiative shows the level of cross-departmental co-operation and collaboration that is required and is happening in this area. We are absolutely committed to continuing that work.
The task force will provide a fantastic opportunity to revisit a lot of these issues and to re-energise and refocus policies and budgets towards them. It will be very positive for Dublin city centre. As I said, the task force has 12 weeks to put together its report. Once we have the report, we will look at the recommendations. The Taoiseach led on this matter and proactively convened the task force. That shows his commitment to, and the Government's support for, rejuvenating Dublin city centre.
4. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he is aware of the proposed decision of a company to transfer its manufacturing activities from its site in Balbriggan to Britain by the end of December 2024; if he will engage with workers and the community regarding the matter; and the measures that can be taken to stimulate the creation of good jobs in Balbriggan. [30127/24]
I previously raised the situation at the Wavin Ireland factory in Balbriggan with the Minister. At the time, in committee, I indicated my intention to raise it on the floor of the Dáil. I would appreciate if he would focus specifically on the steps and measures that can be taken to stimulate the creation of good jobs in Balbriggan. We are sorry to see the jobs go at Wavin Ireland. We appreciate the Minister's involvement up to this point. I am asking what he can and will do to stimulate the creation of decent jobs in the area as we move forward.
Wavin Ireland has been an IDA Ireland client company for more than 60 years. My Department received a notification of collective redundancy from the company last Friday, 5 July, confirming its intention to reduce its workforce by some 50 positions by the end of the year due to the transfer of manufacturing functions to its facility in the UK. As always, the primary concern, in the House and in my Department, is for the staff and their families who will be impacted by this decision. The Government and our agencies will be on hand to support those individuals as they seek alternative employment.
Employees were notified of the redundancies on 1 July, with the statutory consultation period also beginning on that date. The company has advised that impacted employees are members of either SIPTU or Connect trade unions. Negotiations will be facilitated by their shop stewards. IDA Ireland has reached out to Wavin Ireland management to offer support to all involved.
In respect of job creation in the Balbriggan area, IDA Ireland's Dublin regional office continues to work closely with Fingal County Council to attract employment to Balbriggan. The IDA Ireland regional manager for Dublin is a member of the Balbriggan URBACT local working group. More broadly, the Dublin region continues to perform strongly in respect of IDA Ireland jobs announcements, including recent announcements in the past 12 months by many leading-edge manufacturing and services companies. While certain employment opportunities may not match the skills profiles of some of the workers in Wavin Ireland, the Government will work to ensure reskilling and training opportunities are provided to the workers in the coming weeks and months.
In terms of wider investment in the area, there has been significant infrastructural investment by IDA Ireland in upgrading Swords Business Park. We will work closely with Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to attract good investment into the area. The pipeline is very strong. IDA Ireland has exceeded its target for the Dublin region and is working on its next five-year plan. It is similar with Enterprise Ireland and its targets for export growth. There are some very exciting export companies setting up in the Deputy's constituency. The UK market grew by more than 10% last year in the aftermath of Brexit. That is a significant achievement by those companies. We work closely with the State agencies to support the companies. All the efforts of the State are being put into reskilling, which is the most important element in the budgetary context as we look at the national training fund and other helpful measures.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply and for the note he sent me outlining his plan to engage with all the relevant parties to ensure the workers are given support and training. He indicated that IDA Ireland will prioritise securing replacement employment in the area. There is serious untapped potential in Balbriggan. There are people in the town who can and should be able to work at home or close to their home. However, most of them have to get on a bus or train or into their car every morning to go to Drogheda or Dublin city. There is serious underemployment in the area although one would not think so from looking at the figures for Dublin as a whole. As the Minister knows, averages do not tell us very much. We need to look at the specifics. Does the Minister have a timeframe for the realisation of his ambitions for the area? Has he set a target for the number of jobs that might be created? There is no limit to the talent, imagination, energy and enthusiasm that the people of Balbriggan will show him if he can match it with supports and a plan for rejuvenating the town and bringing decent jobs to it.
I am happy to work with the Deputy to support the community and provide high-quality jobs. That is important to our economy. IDA Ireland is drawing up a new strategic plan to ensure we remain competitive and can attract high-quality jobs into the region. The statistics are very good. Approximately one third of the new investment coming into the country at the moment is by new-name companies, many of which are choosing Dublin as their location. Two thirds of new investment is by way of repeat business, which is also very important. These are existing clients who have chosen Ireland as their destination, are happy with what is being offered and will continue to do business here.
I am happy to work with the Deputy into the future on securing additional support for Dublin. I referred to infrastructural upgrades that are happening. We absolutely are keen to see Balbriggan prosper. The more agile way people now work, with remote working and other mechanisms, means they are looking for high-quality opportunities that offer a blended experience rather than requiring them to go into the city every day. It is very important that people have the capacity to work in their home and in their community. We have worked hard to facilitate that by way of the new strategies from both Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.
5. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps being taken to ensure the enterprise sector can harness the potential of offshore wind and wave energy. [30882/24]
Offshore wind and wave energy have the potential, if harnessed, to make the State an exporter of energy. There is potential to create thousands of jobs, especially in coastal communities. While the investment required is steep, it can create a whole new economic sector and guarantee the creation of new jobs. Our island is surrounded by natural resources. I am confident we have the co-operation of political parties, third level institutions and private companies in advancing this project. What steps has the Department of enterprise taken and what further steps will it take to support those looking to develop the potential of this economic sector?
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist thábhachtach seo a ardú . Ireland's offshore wind industrial strategy, Powering Prosperity, was published by my Department in March this year. The strategy seeks to maximise the economic benefits associated with our target of producing 37 GW of offshore wind energy by 2050. It includes 40 targeted actions for implementation in 2024 and 2025 to support our offshore wind industry to reach that ambitious target.
We aim to build a strong and resilient offshore wind supply chain in Ireland, as well as exploring opportunities for Irish companies to play a major role in the development of offshore wind projects at home and abroad. We are exploring the opportunities to leverage Ireland’s existing strengths in research, development and innovation to support the sector to reach the cutting edge of future developments in offshore wind.
Powering Prosperity also focuses on pursuing strategic partnerships with like-minded countries in Europe and beyond, with a specific action to further build on international strategic partnerships with other countries to establish meaningful co-operation in supply chain development and knowledge transfer within the highly internationalised offshore wind industry. With this objective in mind, the Minister, Deputy Burke, led a recent engagement with Scotland to establish an annual joint offshore wind energy event. The focus of this year's event was to foster a collaborative relationship rather than a competitive one, working together to address common challenges with shared solutions. In the longer term, the strategy will consider routes to market for our abundant clean renewable energy, including carrying out a sectoral assessment of the concept of green energy industrial parks. Actions also focus on exploring regional development opportunities in coastal areas close to where renewable energy will come onshore. The recent Scottish event involved a round-table discussion on research, development and innovation and skills, both here in Dublin and in Cork, alongside Scotland’s Minister for Climate Action, Gillian Martin. It was a productive discussion with representatives of the offshore wind industry in both countries that examined shared opportunities and challenges.
I thank the Minister of State. Regarding offshore energy, many companies and people are making great strides already in this field. I commend Shannon-Foynes Port for the work it has done to date and for its Vision 2041 strategy that laid out in detail many of the challenges and potential available from offshore energy, especially in the mid-west region. The port is in proximity to the offshore wind resources. It has the deep-water port that is needed and the necessary development land nearby. It is well-suited, with the necessary supports, to lead the way in this potentially enormously beneficial economic sector. One of the scenarios outlined was an expectation that by 2050 the area could create 30 GW of floating offshore wind energy, potentially attracting direct and indirect investment of up to €90 billion, which is a massive opportunity for Ireland. In March 2023 the enterprise, trade and employment committee, which I chair, issued a report on renewable energy. The report was issued following a visit to Belfast Harbour to see its D1 facility and following engagement with numerous stakeholders. As the Minister of State is probably well aware, Belfast Harbour is the only port on the island of Ireland that currently has the capacity to provide the construction and marshalling services needed for offshore wind energy. He might address that.
I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge his work, the work of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment and its report on this space in 2023. We are focused on this. Our Department is working through our regional enterprise committees right across the country to identify the opportunities, and especially looking at ports to identify the infrastructure we need. It is vital we are ready and that we have that infrastructure in place. On the Shannon Estuary economic task force, we are looking at all the recommendations in that report. We published an implementation update at the end of June that showed the majority of recommended actions have been or will be implemented. We are very focused on looking at any opportunity. As well as infrastructure, we want to ensure we have the skills in place to back that up and to ensure the opportunities that will come with that infrastructure can be made available to people in the regions as well, and that we have that skills base available.
I thank the Minister of State. As I have said before, the development of offshore wind energy can be our generation's Ardnacrusha moment. We either act now or fall behind our competitors, which are basically Scotland, Germany and other countries. We can harness this energy and export the excess Ireland does not need or we can import it from abroad. That is the choice we are facing. It is as simple as that. We can either harness the energy from wind or purchase it from abroad. Does the Minister of State share my concern that we are not advanced enough, do not have the planning in our ports and do not have any place for marshalling? As I said, Belfast is the only place that can do the marshalling of the product that is needed. We are way behind. The only port I know that has planning permission is Cork Harbour and that is running out. It could potentially take years to develop a planning process in other ports. The committee I chair, which includes Deputy O'Reilly and others, attended Cork Harbour recently. Concerns were expressed to us that we are way behind, are missing the opportunity and do not have the planning, infrastructure and other stuff in place. Will the Minister of State outline exactly what the Government is going to do to address those challenges?
We are very well progressed. We are putting the foundation stones in place. We will ensure that when the technology is available to us to maximise the offshore advantages, especially off our Atlantic coast, we will be in a position to maximise it. Our Department is investing considerably in the supply chains issue. We had an excellent event with the Scottish Government recently and our agreement is we will share with it, co-operate with it and look to its lessons. Scotland is equally looking to what we have achieved here with onshore wind. We have shown huge advances in that area. We will work collaboratively with them on onshore and offshore. I am very confident we will be able to harness this energy in a planned way. The establishment of MARA as the offshore planning agency is part of putting all the building blocks in place, putting the infrastructure in place and being focused on the skills and supply chains as well as the opportunities within those chains, especially for smaller companies based in the regions.
