New Irish Sea taskforce - set up in wake of Holyhead Port closure - holds first meeting

The Irish government said the first get together included representatives “from across Wales, Ireland and beyond”.

It was set up following December's temporary closure of Holyhead port, and concern from governments on both sides of the Irish Sea about maintaining reliable sea routes between Wales and Ireland.

The taskforce's core membership includes representatives from the Welsh, Irish, UK, Scottish and Northern Ireland governments, local authorities, port operators, ferry companies, and logistics industry representatives, and will “call upon experts for input into specific themes”.

It will be led by the Welsh Government's Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, alongside Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, and Irish Government Minister of State for International & Road Transport Seán Canney.

Mr Skates said: "It has been good today to all come together to discuss how we can strengthen the resilience of the vital sea links between Wales and Ireland. The strategic importance of these links is clear. This taskforce will examine how we can prevent similar disruptions in the future and look at how we can respond when challenges arise at any of our ports, building on the experiences of last December."

Irish Government Minister of State for Transport, Seán Canney, said: “I was delighted to join Transport Secretary Ken Skates and Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans in person today to underline the Irish Government’s commitment to building resilience in sea connections and port facilities on both sides of the Irish Sea. This taskforce represents a meaningful opportunity to bring together stakeholders from across the spectrum to learn from recent events and plan effectively for the future.”

Thursday's meeting was the first of six scheduled sessions, where members agreed on Terms of Reference and priority areas.