The appointment of a new chairman to the Foynes Port Company board as a result of the salaries controversy was welcomed yesterday by local Dail deputies.
However, Mr Dan Neville, the Fine Gael TD for Limerick West, who described the new chairman, Mr Kieran MacSweeney, as "a good choice because of his skills and background", said the port of Foynes was not just about salary levels, "it is also about efficiency and competitiveness which need to be examined".
He was commenting on the report on structures at Foynes and other ports commissioned by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods. The report followed the controversial resignation of the Foynes board chairman, Mr Sean Hanratty.
"I believe Foynes is in danger of losing its competitiveness in relation to other ports which have become more efficient. They have improved their operations and effectiveness. Foynes needs a big overhaul," Mr Neville said.
The Fine Gael spokesman on the marine, Mr Michael Finnucane, also of Limerick West, asked why it had taken the investigation in Foynes to highlight the high salaries of port chief executives when the Minister would already have been aware of the fact that the Government's Auditor General would have received annual reports."
The chief executive and trade development officer at Foynes Port Company, Mr Frank O'Malley, said they had received the Minister's report "and due consideration will be given to it by the directors of Foynes Port Company".