Minister meets with port over €5m bill

TRANSPORT minister Noel Dempsey has met with members of the financially troubled Shannon Foynes Port Company as details of huge compensation settlements have emerged.

The company now faces bills in excess of €5 million over the manner in which former chief executive Brian Byrne was suspended and for the dismissal of two key port managers.

Mr Byrne settled his high court action before it went to a full hearing and gained compensation in the region of €500,000.

A non executive director, Morgan Leahy, received a €50,000 settlement which he donated to Milford Hospice.

The port company have now received a bill from Mr Byrne’s and Mr Leahy’s legal advisers, Arthur Cox & Co, for €930,000.

The company’s solicitors, Holmes O’Malley Sexton, are seeking €1.02m for the work they did on the Byrne and Leahy cases.

The port say they will refuse to pay the amount being sought by Holmes O’Malley Sexton, claiming they were led to believe that this bill would be substantially less than the sum now being sought.

And yesterday it emerged that Shannon Foynes port have had to make two huge settlements with a manager and a supervisor who took unfair dismissal dismissals against the port.

One settlement cost the company €485,000 and the other €345,000. Both included all legal costs.

Also, a committee set up by Shannon Foynes Port Company to investigate complaints made by two port users against Mr Byrne, which led to his suspension, have also sent in their bills.

The committee’s own bill to Shannon Foynes port came to €195,000 and a legal bill of €250,000 has also been sought.

An accountancy firm which carried out inquires into Brian Byrne’s financial affairs on behalf of the committee of inquiry have filed a bill of €125,000 to the port.

A data company called in by the port’s committee of inquiry are seeking €30,000 for scrutinising Mr Byrne’s computer material.

Shannon Foynes port will also have to carry the costs of a legal firm who represented the two port users who made the complaint against Mr Byrne and these are expected to come to around €225,000.

Mr Byrne strenuously denied all allegations made against him.

Mr Byrne was unavailable to comment yesterday and is said to be on a family holiday in the Caribbean.

Mr Dempsey met last Thursday with two directors of the company amid mounting concern in his department at the huge legal and accountancy costs run up by the port authority.

Shannon Foynes port has incurred a number of business setbacks with the loss of business at Foynes and Limerick.