Dublin Docklands Development Authority (Dissolution) Bill 2014
Dublin Port Company Opening Statement to The Oireachtas Joint Committee on the
Enviroment,Culture and the Gaeltacht. On the General Scheme of the Dublin Docklands
Development Authority ( Dissolution ) Bill 2014.
Dublin Port Company welcomes the Draft General Scheme of the Dublin Docklands Development
Authority (Dissolution) Bill 2014 and supports the broad trust of the proposals contained therein.
Regeneration of Docklands Area Head 5
Dublin Port Company, Head 5: Is in keeping with its Strategic Plan 2012-2016 and its vision: Dublin
Port will have the required capacity to service the needs of its customers and the wider economy
efficiently, sustainably and safely. Dublin Port will enhance the natural and built environments and
be integrated with the City.
Docklands Consultative Forum Head 6: Is in keeping with Dublin Port Company’s Master Plan
2012-2040 integrating Dublin Port and the City and Effective Community Engagement.
“In the context of the Masterplan Dublin Port Company is proposing a series of initiatives to secure
integration of the Port with the City and the people and in the process deliver significant gain to
the communities that Dublin Port interacts with.”
Integrating Dublin Port with the City
“It is a key objective of the Masterplan and a policy imperative for Dublin Port Company that the
development and operation of the Port must benefit the City and the people of Dublin.”
Strategic Plan 2012-2016
CSR
Dublin Port Company defines CSR as follows:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the commitment of the Port to contribute to sustainable
economic development – working with employees, the local community and society at large to
improve the quality of life, in ways that are both good for the business of the Port and good for
Dublin City, its citizens and visitors
We recognise our role in the local communities with which we have strong connections over past
generations. We aim through our CSR policy to heighten awareness of the positive role the Port
plays in the daily life of the city and its citizens. We also aim to support the development of local
communities. In doing this, we seek to re-establish the historical integration of the Port with the
City.
Our CSR programme comprises three elements of support for local communities:
Education as a means to improve the economic wellbeing of local people through to the
generation of employment opportunities in the local economy, Community events and Sports in
local communities and in Dublin Bay.
Across the three areas, we will try to maintain a balance between three types of support:
"Perpetual" programmes (such as our third level scholarship programme) which we have
supported for many years and which, in all likelihood, we will continue to support for many years
to come.
Multi-annual support (for example, sports club sponsorships) which we might opt to terminate as
we review and recast our overall CSR programme in the future.
One off events or projects (such as the provision of equipment to local schools or support for a one
off sports event).
We will commit resources (staff resources, practical assistance and cash) to our CSR activities
appropriate to our scale and commensurate with our means.
The aggregate discretionary CSR cash expenditure in any given year will be approved as part of the
annual budget process.
Decisions to fund specific programmes or projects will be taken within the existing expenditure
approval framework.
The case for each item of cash expenditure will be set out in writing each year.
The case will identify:
 What organisation will receive funding

What the funding will be used for

What benefits the funding will generate for the Port

How the funding complies with Port policy

What checks will take place to ensure that the allocated funds have been used as intended
An Advisory Group with membership from both the Board and the Executive has been established
to keep our CSR programme under continual review and to make recommendations as to how the
Port’s CSR policy and its implementation might be developed and improved.
Objective
To use our CSR programme to promote the integration of the Port with the City and to further
understanding and support for the development and operations of the Port.
Strategy
Maintain a close liaison with local communities, educational establishments and sporting
organisations by employing a full time Community Liaison Officer.
Promote the work of the Port through its CSR programme and highlight what is achieved.
Objectively assess all requests for support from our CSR programme to ensure that initiatives we
fund support our objectives.
Encourage other companies from within the Port community to join with us to create a wider port
community CSR programme.
Support and encourage the involvement of staff in CSR initiatives.
Dublin Port Company’s Master Plan
Soft Values
The erosion of public support for ports has, in recent years, been recognised as a problem for port
companies which they need to address. The response to this has been the development of the
concept of "societal integration" and its exposition, in particular, in the European Sea Ports
Organisation's "Code of Practice on the Societal Integration of Ports", published in May 2010.
In the case of Dublin Port, the concept of achieving a better integration (or perhaps, more
accurately, a re-integration of Dublin Port with Dublin City) is central to our Masterplan 2012 to
2040.
Having recognised this objective and having committed ourselves to achieving it, we now need to
develop and implement a programme of measures.
The necessary measures to achieve societal integration fall into three categories as follows:

Our CSR programme

The community gain elements of future capital projects

Our programme of soft values projects
Our soft values projects have the attributes of capital projects and are intended to leave an abiding
heritage legacy. We need to define, develop, budget and implement these projects with the same
rigour that we apply to port infrastructure projects.
An initial list of soft values projects has been identified as follows:

The Time Ball project

The Lighthouse Project

Moving the cranes

The Diving Bell

East Wall Road boundary softening

Poolbeg Harbour rejuvenation
Our challenge now is to define each of these projects to the point where we can begin to
implement them on a prioritised basis over the coming five years.
Objective
To define and implement substantial projects that helps us to achieve societal integration by
creating landmark port-related additions to the built environment.
Strategy
Define and specify suitable projects.
Create implementation teams comprising champions and sponsors from outside Dublin Port.
Provide appropriate levels of resources (including but not limited to funding) for soft values
projects. Publicise and promote soft values projections both during implementation and upon
completion.