Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 May 2016
611. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the decision his Department has made or that is pending on the governance of Dún Laoghaire Harbour under the Harbours Bill 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11878/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Harbours Act 2015, which was signed into law on 25 December last, provides the legislative basis for one of the National Ports Policy's key recommendations, namely that governance of the five designated Ports of Regional Significance should vest in more appropriate local authority led governance structures.
The Harbours Act 2015 does not prescribe the model of transfer for any of the five ports, including the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company. Instead the Act allows for the most appropriate model of governance to be chosen in respect of each individual company. The two possible models of transfer provided in the Bill are:
1. Retention of the existing company structure and transfer of the Ministerial shareholding in the company to the local authority; or
2. Dissolution of the existing company structure and transfer of all assets, liabilities and employees into local authority structures, where the port will be administered as a functional area of the local authority.
The manner of transfer selected in each case will be the one that finds broad consensus and agreement between the parties. If there is disagreement between the port and the Council over the model of transfer, then the model of transfer chosen will be a Ministerial function.
Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council have established two transitional teams which are engaging on the practical issues associated with the transfer and consultants have been appointed by the Council to undertake the due diligence process, with funding support from my Department. This exercise is intended to assist in the decision as to the most suitable model of transfer.
Officials from my Department also met with Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on a number of occasions to assist in the process.
