Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2026
297. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport if he will list the designated harbours in County Louth; and outline the process by which a harbour can be designated under the Harbours Act 1996. [18189/26]
View answer298. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport the way his Department ensures that local authorities and harbour companies are meeting their statutory obligations under the Harbours Act 1996, the Harbours Act 1946, and the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847, particularly in cases where no harbour master is appointed to exercise the powers and duties set out in these Acts. [18190/26]
View answer299. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport if he will detail the safety assessments carried out in harbours currently operating without a harbour master; and whether the absence of a harbour master has been identified as a risk factor in relation to vessel traffic management, emergency response, or environmental protection. [18191/26]
View answer300. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport the way the absence of a harbour master in certain regional ports aligns with the requirements of the Sea Pollution Act 1991, particularly regarding the authority to refuse entry to vessels that pose an environmental threat; and whether additional resources will be allocated to ensure compliance. [18192/26]
View answer301. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport the way emergency response capabilities, such as fire control, vessel removal, and enforcement of bye laws, are being exercised in harbours where no harbour master is appointed, given that these powers are specifically vested in harbour masters under the Harbours Act 1996 and related legislation. [18194/26]
View answer302. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport if he will publish a national strategy for the governance and staffing of regional harbours, including a plan to ensure that every port with commercial, fishing, or tourism activity has a designated harbour master with the statutory authority to manage safety, operations, and environmental protection. [18195/26]
View answer303. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has conducted any formal risk audits or safety assessments of harbours operating without a designated harbour master; and if so, whether he will publish the findings; if not, the way the Department assesses compliance with statutory safety obligations in the absence of such audits. [18198/26]
View answer304. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport the insurance and liability implications for local authorities and harbour companies that operate harbours without an appointed harbour master, given that statutory powers under the Harbours Act 1996 and related legislation cannot be exercised by unappointed or unauthorised personnel; and whether the State faces increased exposure in the event of an accident, pollution incident, or vessel damage in such harbours. [18199/26]
View answer305. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport whether the Irish Coast Guard, the Marine Survey Office, or any other maritime safety authority has raised concerns regarding the absence of harbour masters in regional ports; and if so, the actions which have been taken in response to those concerns. [18200/26]
View answer306. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport the way the absence of harbour masters in certain Irish harbours aligns with Ireland's obligations under EU maritime safety, port operations, and environmental protection directives, including requirements relating to vessel traffic management, pollution prevention, and port State control; and whether the European Commission has issued any queries or observations on this matter. [18201/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305 and 306 together.
The Department of Transport is responsible for the strategic policy, corporate governance, and oversight of the four State-owned commercial port companies: Dublin Port Company, Port of Cork Company, Shannon Foynes Port Company, and Port of Waterford Company. The Minister for Transport holds 99% of the shares in these four companies, while the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation holds the remaining 1%. The oversight agreement between the State-owned port companies and the Department is the Shareholder Letter of Expectation, which issues every two years.
National Ports Policy sets out the policy framework for those State-owned commercial ports under the aegis of the Department of Transport. Strategic policy, corporate governance, funding, insurance, liability, and operational matters relating to other ports that are under the aegis of local authorities are issues for the ports themselves and for the local authorities under the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, while any matters relating to fishery harbour centres fall under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. It should be noted that under National Ports Policy 2013, the State-owned commercial port companies do not receive Exchequer funding but must fund operations through their own resources and borrowings.
The core objective of the National Ports Policy 2013 (NPP 2013) was to facilitate a competitive and effective market for maritime transport services. The policy introduced several important reforms, including the categorisation of the commercial port companies into three tiers.
The Ports of National Significance (Tier 1) are Dublin Port Company, Port of Cork Company and Shannon Foynes Port Company. The Ports of National Significance (Tier 2) are Port of Waterford Company and Rosslare Europort.
NPP 2013 recommended that the five Ports of Regional Significance (Tier 3) — Wicklow Port Company, Drogheda Port Company, New Ross Port Company, Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company and Galway Harbour Company — be transferred to more appropriate local authority-led governance structures. The Harbours Act 2015 facilitated that transfer and it repealed the Harbours Acts 1946 and 1947. Three of these port companies — Wicklow Port Company, New Ross Port Company and Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company — were dissolved on transfer to the ownership of their respective local authorities. All Tier 3 ports have now transitioned to the ownership of their respective local authorities and are no longer under the remit of the Minister for Transport. Rosslare Europort operates as a division of Iarnród Éireann and is not subject to the Harbours Act.
The designation of ports in terms of national or regional significance is a matter for National Ports Policy. The Harbours Act 2015 facilitated the implementation of that policy but does not provide a mechanism for designation. The Harbours Act does not apply to fishery harbours. The designation of fishery harbour centres is a matter for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the Fishery Harbour Centres Act 1968.
The State-owned commercial port companies are governed by the Harbours Acts 1996 to 2015, the Companies Act 2014, and the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies (2016). These frameworks ensure transparency, accountability, and the safeguarding of State interests comprising these transport infrastructure assets of national significance. Governance oversight of other ports is a matter for relevant local authorities and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The statutory obligations of the State-owned commercial port companies, as set out in the Harbours Acts, include the provision of accounts, reporting on significant developments such as acquisitions of shares and land, proposals for disposal of land, and seeking consent for borrowings.
Section 37 of the Harbours Act 1996 requires that a harbour company employ a harbour master. The Act defines a harbour company as those listed in the First Schedule to the Act. In accordance with the First Schedule, all State-owned commercial port companies employ a full-time harbour master. The Department understands that the ports of regional significance that were transferred to local authority control and which retained their company status — Galway Harbour Company and Drogheda Port Company — also employ harbour masters. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has advised that all six fishery harbour centres under its remit employ full-time harbour masters.
In relation to maritime safety, the operation and management of the State-owned commercial ports — including aspects of safety, maintenance and development — are operational matters for the port companies. The Department's Marine Survey Office has no remit regarding operational port or harbour safety; its responsibilities relate to vessel safety, pollution from ships, and living and working conditions aboard vessels.
In addition to its function to co-ordinate search and rescue in the Irish Search and rescue region, the Irish Coast Guard, which is a division of the Department, is the lead agency for marine environmental protection in Ireland, responsible for coordinating responses to oil spills and hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone. To support this role, the National Maritime Oil & HNS Spill Contingency Plan (NMOSCP) establishes a national framework and strategy for marine pollution preparedness and response. The Irish Coast Guard manages 24/7 pollution monitoring, maintains national pollution-response equipment stockpiles, and coordinates with local authorities, ports and harbours for shoreline clean-ups when required. Its functions also include the approval and oversight of Oil Spill Contingency Plans (OSCPs) for local authorities, harbours, ports, and offshore installations. The Irish Coast Guard maintains regular contact with relevant stakeholders in relation to these matters.
