asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the amount which is being made available this year for marine research and development.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Marine Research and Development.
8.
A number of Government Departments and related agencies are concerned in marine research and development activities. It is estimated that in 1976 expenditure on such activities funded either directly or indirectly by the Government will amount to approximately £865,000.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary give a breakdown of the expenditure by each Department?
I would stress that these are estimates and as regards the individual agencies concerned they may not prove to be correct in regard to the outturn. I understand the broad total is correct. The order of magnitude is as follows: Fisheries Division, £291,000; BIM, £69,000; Inland Fisheries Trust, £52,000; Salmon Research Trust, £9,200; Institute for Industrial Research and Standards, £40,000; Meteorological Service, £15,000; Geological Survey, £30,000; DIAS, that is, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies—geophysics work—£40,000; National Science Council, £168,000. Then there is the higher education sector generally, based on the assumption that marine work will take up 7 per cent of that grant, £150,000, making a total of roughly £865,000.
Most of the figures given relate to fishing. How much of the figures relate to research on matters like oceanography and matters important to marine development?
The IIRS geological work would not be directly concerned with fishing. I cannot give the Deputy detailed information in regard to the components of the work.
The Parliamentary Secretary has given a list of organisations engaged in this area. Can he give us any indication as to whether there is any co-ordination between them?
We dealt with this on an earlier question. The Marine Science Advisory Council are engaged in this.