Government is ignoring the people who want a say in their harbour’s future

I REFER to your article regarding the status of Kinsale Harbour Board (Irish Examiner, January 17). As a sitting harbour commissioner, I am compelled to correct some inaccuracies in the article.

Kinsale Harbour Board has been in existence since 1870, under the control of the Department of the Marine in recent years and, since January 1 this year, the Department of Transport.

In June 1999 a report by KMPG, commissioned by the Department of the Marine, recommended the larger commercial ports be transferred to port companies on a ‘stand alone’ basis and the smaller ports such as Kinsale, Baltimore, etc, should have control transferred to the relevant local authority. This would mean an end to the 1946 and 1947 Harbours Act, which laid down the government legislation for the ports and which was generally felt to be in need of repeal.