I do not propose to delay the House today since I made most of the points I wished to make during my intervention on Thursday last. There is not any objection to the Bill, a relatively small Bill concerning merely a change of venue from Galway to Rossaveal, but I would like some information regarding the expenditure of moneys voted for harbour development works. According to the Estimates the figure in this respect for this year is £3 million while for last year it was £1.75 million in respect of fishery centres and £20,033 in respect of grants for harbours. Was the £1.75 million expended last year and is there a likelihood that the £3 million will be expended this year? The reason for asking this question is that during the time in which I was associated with the Department I learned that down through the years of successive Fianna Fáil Governments sizeable percentages of the moneys voted were not expended and consequently found their way back to Exchequer funds. This resulted in a situation in which Fianna Fáil Deputies could go around the country quoting the amounts which were being spent on harbour development by giving the figures as indicated in the Book of Estimates. The figures in the Book of Estimates should be based on fact and not on fiction. The present Minister has not been in office long enough to have changed the practice I have described, but I hope he will be in a position to tell us what percentage of the moneys voted for harbour works were expended last year and what the percentage in this respect is likely to be this year. Perhaps, too, he may be able to tell us the relative figure for 1977-78.
Some years ago, when Fianna Fáil were trying to return to office, fisheries became an emotive subject. We all know that without proper harbour facilities it is very difficult for fishermen to land catches and so on. However, we do not hear anything now either from the Taoiseach or from those five Ministers who were so vocal between 1973 and 1977 regarding the 50-mile exclusive limit, who gave the impression that in the event of Fianna Fáil's return to power at the general election there would be a 50-mile exclusive limit and that only Irish fishermen would be allowed fish within such a limit. But the silence now is all the more evidence of the gimmickry in which the Government party engaged in that period. Now after three years of Fianna Fáil Government we find that small harbours, slips and piers which are much in need of development are being neglected. This is certainly the situation in my constituency and all the evidence seems to indicate that it is typical of the situation in the country generally. In these circumstances the Minister should ensure that moneys voted for harbour works should be expended in full. I doubt if there is such under expenditure in other spheres. Perhaps there is but Deputies simply do not notice. It is a shame that as much as 66 per cent, or £2 out of every £3 voted for harbour development, goes back to the Exchequer. There is the problem, too, of trying to sell fish.
