THE COMPETITION Authority is to carry out a review of the Irish port sector which will examine the level of competition between and within ports in the State, and whether changes in ownership structures could enhance competition.
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said the study would examine whether Dublin Port had an economically dominant position.
“Dublin Port is hugely successful with 40 per cent of our GDP going through it. Part of our study will look at whether it is profitable because it is dominant or because it is very competitive,” Mr Varadkar told RTÉ News.
However Isolde Goggin, chairperson of the Competition Authority, said there will be no presumption of dominance at Dublin Port. “We’re not starting out from that point,” she said.
In a statement, Dublin Port Company said Dublin Port facilitates exports and imports at the heart of Ireland’s largest market in “a highly efficient and cost effective manner”.
The study was requested by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton in the context of the Government’s jobs action plan, which included a commitment to identify any sheltered sectors of the economy where competition is restricted.
The authority will hold a public consultation this year.