Is the Chair telling me that I am not entitled to question the cost of the Minister's travel to County Donegal? I am not interested in what happened inside the hotel; I am not in the slightest interested in that. I am interested in the affairs of the fishermen in County Donegal, not alone those of the Greencastle fishermen.
To give the House an idea of how disinterested and uniformed is the Minister, when I asked had he not visited the Foyle Fisheries Commission in Derry, the headquarters of a commission with a cross-Border dimension unique not alone in Ireland but in Europe, charged with the prime responsibility of controlling the fishing industry across the Border in Northern Ireland and within the State, I discovered that he did not consider it worth his while to pay them a courtesy visit or to consult with them on their problems. Indeed that was an insult to the staff of that office, that their boss would not pay them the courtesy of a visit or recognise the fact that they were there.
For the life of me I do not see why I should be told that I cannot refer to a private visit of the Minister. The Minister has been spending public moneys. When I asked the Minister why he had not done this he replied:
Had I visited the Foyle Fishery I have no doubt the Deputy would have asked me why I did not find time to visit Greencastle.
The Minister is subconsciously telling me that there is a difference between the fishermen who fish Greencastle Harbour and the Foyle fisheries about which I am talking. I do not understand the reply the Minister gave me. Perhaps it was given in the heat of the moment, an off-the-cuff remark but I want to tell him that the headquarters of fishermen who use Greencastle Harbour are at the Foyle Fisheries Commission, Victoria Road, Derry and the general secretary or any of his staff would have informed the Minister of the many problems the fishermen would have liked to discuss with him. I am at present dealing exclusively with the problems of the driftnet fishermen off Greencastle. God knows they have been fooled long enough by having Ministers of Governments visit them, by Governments telling them this, that and the other. Any time I speak to them I must make allowances for the strong language they use. Were I one of them I would be using equally strong language to protest about the way they are being ignored.
In regard to the recent cross-Border study, I had a parliamentary question in the House last Thursday, 12 June 1980 asking the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he would confirm if an application had been made for a grant from the European Regional Development Fund for Greencastle Harbour development; if he would make a statement in that regard in relation to development as outlined in the cross-Border study dealing with the Derry-Donegal area—the Minister in his reply, which I had to accept by way of written reply, told me that a submission had not yet been made. In his reply the Minister said:
Approval has been given for the carrying out of the second stage of the development programme at Greencastle Harbour at an estimated cost of £1.12 million. The scheme will include the extension of the existing pier and the construction of a new pier to provide additional berthage accommodation, deepening of the existing berthage area, reclamation of an area of 8,250 square yards and the provision of an auction hall and other ancillary facilities. It is estimated that the works will take about four years to complete. Contract documents are at present being prepared for county council approval prior to going to tender.
That cross-Border communications study was initiated by Deputy Garret FitzGerald when he was Minister for Foreign Affairs. It was presented to the present Government in the autumn of 1977, almost three years ago. Repeatedly I have endeavoured to ascertain the amount of money being spent on Greencastle Harbour. Yet now, after three years, we are told that no such application is with the EEC Regional Fund in Europe. Did the Minister not consider it worth his while to go and talk to the fishermen at Greencastle about the expenditure of almost £1.12 million? Did the Minister not consider it worth his while to go and talk about such development with the fishermen? Did he not consider it worth his while being briefed on the fishing industry in County Donegal before going there? I have nothing personal against the Minister. I want to place this clearly on record. From the first day I met him we have always enjoyed a very friendly relationship. I have always respected him as being an affable, friendly individual. I do not want that to change, but I must say that in dealing with constituency matters as grave as those about which I am now speaking I am led to believe either that the Minister has no interest in his job or that he is not fit for the work assigned to him. There are many draftnet fishermen from Greencastle to Porthall who would have liked to ask him certain questions, but he did not tell them he was going to Donegal. The only people he met were members of the Fianna Fáil cumann. They heard on the grapevine that he would be attending a private function I am not allowed mention here tonight.
If the Minister met any fishermen it was in their capacity as Fianna Fáil supporters. There is nothing dishonourable about that. It is only right that a fisherman who is a Fianna Fáil supporter should approach the Minister to discuss these matters. I applaud them for their actions but the Minister did not officially meet the fishermen's representatives.
The Minister has been in the Department of Fisheries for almost seven or eight months and to the best of my knowledge he has not yet visited a major fishing port. I was told last weekend that he had received an invitation from the Killybegs fishermen which was ignored until recently. He received an invitation from the Killybegs Fianna Fáil Cumann and I am told he will attend a dinner dance there this weekend. Because I raised this matter here tonight, he will probably talk to the fishermen in Killybegs, but I hope he will visit Burtonport too and spend another day in the area and arrange to meet the fishermen from Greencastle and other ports.
These are very urgent matters. They may not be important to many Members of this House, but to the people who fish in the Foyle waters the median line is very aggravating and troublesome and something must be done about it sooner or later. It is very difficult when fishermen have to keep this imaginary line in mind and at the same time do their work. It was an insult when the man in charge of fisheries did not meet the fishermen's representatives.
Falling salmon stocks in the River Foyle should have been dealt with, but so far as the Minister was concerned that was not important. It was more important for him to attend an enjoyable function at which the crowd was so big it was difficult for him to dance, or so he tells me.
