Debate contribution: Harbours Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on 23 June 2026.

MLA

Ms Liz Kimmins

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

23 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Harbours Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5636816

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Go raibh maith agat.

The Harbours Bill represents a significant and necessary reform of the legislative framework that governs our trust ports and harbour authorities. The Bill is the first step in implementing updates arising from a comprehensive review of trust ports. The review identified a number of challenges faced by my Department, trust ports and harbour authorities. The measures before Members today are designed to enable those bodies to operate more efficiently, strengthen their contribution to the regional economy and ensure that they can compete effectively with other ports. I am grateful for the opportunity to put the Bill before the House today. In December 2024, my Department launched a 12-week consultation on a range of policy proposals aimed at modernising the existing legislative framework. The proposals focused on the powers, status and governance of the trust ports, including whether trust port status remains appropriate for major commercial ports here, whether ports should be granted enhanced commercial powers, whether trust ports require powers to ensure the proper discharge of the marine safety obligations and whether the processes for preparing and approving harbour orders should be updated. The consultation, which closed on 10 March 2025, generated 60 responses. I take the opportunity to publicly acknowledge the organisations and individuals who contributed their views and helped to inform our policy development. Following that process, I agreed policy recommendations that were also agreed by my ministerial colleagues in the Executive on 6 November 2025. They included retaining the trust port model, pursuing legislative change to address the current Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification and introducing enhanced commercial powers. They also included provisions for the power of harbour direction for ports, as well as updated purposes for which harbour orders may be made. I emphasise that the Bill is firmly grounded in the agreed policy proposals. It represents a measured and balanced package of reforms designed to modernise our ports and unlock the full commercial potential, whilst retaining appropriate safeguards in the public interest. Our ports play a vital role in the regional economy and for the wider community, and the trust port model, which operates for the benefit of stakeholders, has served the North of Ireland well. The Bill does not seek to replace that model but rather to update and modernise it for the future. In doing so, the Bill addresses a number of long-standing issues that relate to governance, control and their ONS accounting status. All those issues are central to their ability to operate as effective operation ports. Specifically, the Bill removes my Department's power to compel the sale of a trust port, which is an important step in protecting the independence and long-term stability of our ports, and it signals clearly that they are not subject to undue governance intervention. In addition, the Bill repeals the Department's power to issue directions to trust ports in the exercise of their statutory functions. That ensures that responsibility for day-to-day operations and strategic decision-making rests firmly with the ports. Alongside those measures, supporting secondary legislation will amend governance arrangements, including reducing the Department's role in appointing board members from a majority to a minority position, which will maintain an appropriate level of public accountability. In addition, it is my intention, as Minister, to retain ministerial councillor appointments. Taken together, the measures strike an important balance. They reduce indicators of public-sector control, while preserving appropriate oversight, which is an essential step in seeking ONS reclassification so that trust ports are no longer treated as public corporations where such classification is no longer appropriate. While the ONS classification has no legal impact on the statutory powers, functions or ownership of trust ports in the North, it has significant practical implications. Currently, port borrowing requires capital budget cover from the Department, which places port investment in direct competition with departmental spending priorities. Reclassification breaks the link between port borrowing and departmental budgets, enabling greater financial autonomy for the ports, which is more appropriate to the commercial environment in which they operate. I turn to the commercial aspects of the Bill. Our ports operate in an increasingly competitive environment. It is essential that they have the flexibility and tools required to succeed. The Bill will therefore amend the Harbours Act (NI) 1970 to better align our legislation with that of our counterparts in Britain. Changes include allowing harbour authorities to delegate certain functions while safeguarding key powers; expanding the purposes for which harbour orders may be made; and broadening the scope of commercial and investment-related harbour activities, including removing the requirement for ministerial approval. Importantly, the Bill also provides ports with a general power of harbour direction for their own operations, reinforcing the principle that boards should be empowered to manage their affairs effectively and independently. Taken as a whole, the Bill delivers on three key objectives. First, it enhances the independence of trust ports by removing outdated controls that are no longer appropriate. Secondly, it supports ONS reclassification, ensuring that the governance framework reflects the true nature of the ports. Thirdly, it empowers our ports commercially, equipping them with the tools that they need to compete, grow and contribute to the regional economy. The Bill will be supported in part by subordinate legislation, specifically four harbour orders covering the ports of Belfast, Coleraine, Foyle and Warrenpoint. Those orders will provide ports with further enhanced commercial powers, whilst ensuring that activities remain aligned with port-related objectives and protect the long-term financial sustainability of each port. It is a carefully considered and balanced package that reflects the realities of the modern maritime sector and the strategic importance of our ports to trade, investment and regional development. I will be happy to address any questions that Members may have.

957 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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