asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry if it is his intention to set up a second fishery training school, and, if so, if he will consider siting it at Dunmore East, County Waterford.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fishery Training School.
65.
The responsibility for education and training of fishermen, including control of the National Fishery School at Greencastle, was transferred to An Bord Iascaigh Mhara in 1979. The question of setting up a second training centre at Dunmore East, County Waterford or elsewhere is, therefore, a matter for the board in the first instance. I am informed by the board that the need for such additional facilities will be regularly reviewed in the light of experience and established needs.
I ask the Minister whether, in any review or consideration of adding to the existing facilities, whatever they may be, he will take a look at the original ideas in the setting up of Greencastle school? It has not been utilised fully in the sense that it was intended to be. It is at the primary level, if I may put it that way, and much more needs to be done than is being done at the moment.
I agree with the Deputy that the first priority is to develop a programme at Greencastle and to give the best possible facilities available to the greatest number of fishermen there. We also run part-time evening courses for fishermen around the coast as local demand warrants it. We should ensure that we give the best possible facilities in Greencastle first and improve there before we decide to do anything else.
Yes, along those lines, but I ask the Minister to consider a stage further than what merely has been done, admittedly quite well, to date at Greencastle. The original plans went much further than that and there was the thought of an ever-expanding industry with all its ramifications, and that the role of the training schools would not just be solely that of training fishermen or skippers because there is far more to fishing than that. Thirty thousand workers have not, as yet, been touched upon in Greencastle, or anywhere else for that matter.
I appreciate that more sophisticated means of fishing are constantly arising. Board Iascaigh Mhara are keeping abreast of these and are giving fishermen an opportunity of learning their trade and learning the new methods.
The remaining questions will appear on the Order Paper for the next sitting day.