asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries whether there is a backlog of unapproved applications by fishermen for new boats under the BIM scheme; if so, how many; the reason for the backlog; and when it is expected that approvals will issue.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fishing Boat Purchases.
91.
Over the past five years, including the year ended on 31st March last, An Bord Iascaigh Mhara has had substantial savings on the amounts of capital provided in the Fisheries Vote to enable the board to give grants for the purchase of boats and gear under the board's marine credit plan. In the current year, the Fisheries Vote contains an increased allocation and, therefore, I do not anticipate a backlog of unapproved applications. If such a backlog should appear to be arising the matter will be reviewed.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary say whether his Department is taking any steps to ensure that future new boats purchased by Irish fishermen will, in fact, be screened and have a built-in guarantee so that they do not suffer the same fate as some recently purchased boats suffered, namely, the setting in of rot in certain of these boats paralysing certain sections of the fishing industry?
The Deputy should know that when the rot sets in at the top it permeates the whole way through to the bottom.
The question raised by the Deputy is an entirely separate question. We have no responsibility for the purchase of these boats. They are the responsibility of the fishermen themselves.
Is it not true to say that part of the money was provided through An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, which is under the control of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries; and is it not true to say that the Minister recently stated here that steps would be taken to ensure that new boats purchased would be fully investigated to see they did not have the same type of timber put into them as these other boats had?
This is enlarging the scope of the question.
It is an entirely separate question, but I should like to deal with it. I take it the Deputy is referring to the boats purchased in the French boat-building yard. This was a private matter between the fishermen and the boatyard. BIM entered into it only in so far as they allocated the grants and loans to the fishermen and gave any advice necessary. This was entirely a private transaction.
Surely the Parliamentary Secretary must agree that it was on the expert advice of the BIM representatives and engineers that the fishermen entered into an agreement to buy the boats?
The engineers entered into it only in so far as examining the boats was concerned——
They made a damn bad job of it.
——to find out if the boats were up to the standard required. At the time of the inspection by the BIM engineers the rot was not apparent. Neither was it apparent to the fishermen or to anyone else. It was only in later years the rot showed.
The Parliamentary Secretary must agree that fishermen working off the coast have no knowledge of engineering aspects of vessels and have to be guided by the expert advice of the representatives and officials of the Parliamentary Secretary's Department?
That is beyond the scope of the question.
I hope the suggestion is not that the BIM engineers advised the fishermen to purchase these boats. They did not.
They were employed and paid by the Department to give expert information as to whether the boats were or were not functional and they gave a certificate of fitness and it was on the strength of that the fishermen bought them.
Their only certificate was in connection with whether the boat was eligible for the grant and the loan.
Surely you must get value for money before you pay a grant.