asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the criteria for providing funds for harbour improvements and development.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Harbour Improvement Funds.
24.
Fishery harbours for which funds are provided in the Fisheries Vote comprise the major harbour centres being established under the Fishery Harbour Centres Act, 1968, and the smaller publicly-owned harbours and landing places around the coast. The development and operation of the major harbour centres are the responsibility of my Department. The five major centres designated in the Act are Dunmore East, Killybegs, Castletownbere, Howth and Galway. Dunmore East is completed and work is in progress at Killybegs and Castletownbere. Plans for the development of Howth harbour are under examination.
Most of the smaller harbours and landing places have been the subject of reports by the special survey teams set up by the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries for the purposes of appraising the facilities required to meet the present and expected needs of the fishing industry. In the allocation of funds to aid the development of these harbours and landing places, I am guided by these reports or where the survey teams have not reported by reports of the Office of Public Works. Cost and priority are, of course, other factors which are taken into account.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary accept that the present procedure whereby the Minister or the Parliamentary Secretary of the day has to go to the Department of Finance to make a case for moneys to be provided is outdated, and that if we were accepting the guidelines that the IDA use, for instance, in relation to job opportunities and job creation, far more generous sums of money could be made available for the benefit of harbours?
Since this Government came into office, the Department of Finance have been very fair in their approach to the provision of funds for harbour development. We are trying to expend the full amount allocated by the Department of Finance. What happened, as I have said on a number of occasions already, is that most of the moneys provided particularly in the years from 1968 to 1972 went back to the Exchequer because they were not expended. If those moneys had been expended, harbour development works would be so much more advanced. Taking that into account, the Minister for Finance expressed a viewpoint, and I think rightly, that moneys which were voted by the Dáil for harbour development should be expended on that work and not, as was happening in previous years, fall back to the Exchequer through lack of expenditure.
The Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that reports were being carried out on all harbours around our coastline. How many reports has he to date? Furthermore, is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that we have not at the present time adequate berthage for the boats we have. Since we are supposed to increase our catch by 100 per cent within three years, is the Parliamentary Secretary happy that he is in a position to provide berthage for these boats?
We are endeavouring as best we can do provide berthage. It is an on-going process and in the years ahead additional works will be carried out in various parts of the country. We are trying to allocate the moneys provided on a priority system, taking the more important harbours first, but we are also mindful of the smaller harbours and we hope to allocate a portion of the funds available towards their improvement as well. In the western area the grants from the Department for such harbour work are 75 per cent and in the eastern area 50/50, State and county council. We are satisfied that we are making fair progress.
Are there any plans in the Department to extend the number of major harbours beyond five?
No, we have no such plans.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary happy that five major harbours are adequate?
We have to take into account the availability of public funds. If we had a plentiful supply of money, possibly we would take on more. Certainly, I think five major harbours are adequate at present because our tendency is to improve harbours that could not be deemed to be major harbours but which are of great importance to their own locations. Therefore, we want to spread the money out as much as possible. The Deputy will appreciate that it takes more than a seven-figure sum to provide a major fishing harbour and that kind of money would possibly meet the requirements of eight or nine harbours of lesser importance.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary inform me whether grants are available from FEOGA funds for harbour development and fisheries?
Yes, we have got some money.
Would it be possible to have a secondary list of harbours for development under FEOGA schemes?
The Department have that type of list. There are harbours which are deemed to be first rate, second rate, third rate and so on.
How many current applications might——
I want to get on to another question. We have dwelt long enough on this one.