I wish to inform the Dáil that the Government today made Orders:
(1) transferring the administration and business of Fisheries from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to the Department of Lands, and of functions vested in the Minister for Lands under the Land Purchase Acts or any other functions in relation to the Land Commission, to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries,
(2) transferring the powers, duties and functions of the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries in relation to Fisheries to the Minister for Lands, and of the Minister for Lands under the Land Purchase Acts, and any other functions in relation to the Land Commission, to the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries,
(3) changing the names of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and of the Department of Lands to the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Fisheries, respectively, and
(4) changing the titles of the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries and of the Minister for Lands to the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Fisheries respectively.
The orders relating to the transfers of administration and business and of powers, duties and functions came into operation today and those relating to the changes of names and titles will come into operation tomorrow.
The Government also, today, accepted the resignation of Deputy Michael Pat Murphy from his office as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries and appointed him to the Offices of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture and to the Minister for Fisheries with effect from the 9th February, 1977.
