Vol. 408 No. 6
43 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for the Marine , arising out of his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 81 on 7 May 1991, his views on whether Dublin Port has been underfunded; and if he will outline his policy for future funding of Dublin Port.
The Deputy will appreciate that the State's commercial harbours are intended to be self-financing.
All proposals for State or EC funding received from Dublin Port have been considered on their merits. I would not agree that the port has, in the past, been underfunded, given the funds available for commercial harbours and the many calls upon those funds from the various harbour authorities.
In relation to future funding for the port, the Deputy, as a member of the Dublin Port and Docks Board, will be aware that three projects from Dublin Port have been submitted for inclusion in the operational programme on peripherality which runs from 1989 to 1993. The board have already received £406,000 in EC grant aid in respect of two port projects. Consideration will be given to submitting for funding any additional projects the board might put forward for inclusion in the present programme or any future programme.
