Galway Harbour gets ‘sink or swim’ reprieve
Galway Harbour has been given a reprieve of 18 months to ‘swim or sink’. Transport Minister Pascal Donohue has confirmed that he will ‘hold off’ on reclassifying the port for the next year and a half.
Minister Donohoe has also confirmed that he will not sign the ministerial order transferring ownership of Galway Harbour to Galway City Council.
Galway West Fine Gael TD, Seán Kyne, welcomed the move and said it would give ‘time and space’ to the harbour company to chart its course forward.
Galway Harbour wanted the Minister to scrap altogether its plans to transfer ownership to the local authority but, while this doesn’t quite go that far, it gives them ‘breathing space’, said Deputy Kyne.
Galway Harbour raised concerns about plans to reclassify the port as a ‘port of regional significance’, which they claim would have impacted on their ability to raise revenue to proceed with its expansion plans.
Galway West Fianna Fáil TD Éamon Ó Cuív had tabled a motion to the bill which would have deleted any reference to the downgrading of the port to one of regional significance but this was defeated.
Deputy Ó Cuív welcomed that the minister has said he will not proceed with the re-designation for 18 months, however. This, he said, will give the people of Galway the opportunity to “reject outright the denial of national port status to Galway”. They can do this at the upcoming election, he said.
“Galway Port has major plans for the development of the port but it would be absolutely vital for the success of these plans that the status of the port would be retained as a national port. National, European and commercial funders would be much more likely to provide funding for a national rather than regional port,” said Deputy Ó Cuív.
He pointed out that if the Minister gets his wish in 18 months, there will be not port of national significance from South of Limerick through to Derry, leaving the west coast “bereft of a national port”.
Deputy Ó Cuív said the potential of Galway Harbour is “immense” and it should not be downgraded.
■ For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.