asked the Minister for Communications if, following the demise of Irish Shipping the Government have any plans for the establishment of another State-owned shipping company to ensure that this country is not dependent on non-national shipping services.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - State-owned Shipping Company.
4.
As I recently announced in this House, I have decided, as part of a general review of shipping policy which I am carrying out, to establish a Committee on Strategic Shipping Requirements representative of the Government Departments and other agencies concerned. The task of the committee will be to investigate and report on our current and future strategic needs and how these should be secured. I will be announcing the composition of the committee very shortly.
Would the Minister indicate whether he intends to put a time limit on how long this committee will sit, when he expects to have a report from them and what, if any, commitment he has to implementing the recommendations of the committee when they do report.
I would hope that the committee could report to me within three months. That would be my hope. Obviously I cannot anticipate the report. I am sure if the committee reported that there is no need for a strategic shipping fleet Deputy De Rossa would not want me to implement the report.
Would the Minister state specifically if it is his intention to acquire the Irish Spruce as a base unit for a new deep sea shipping fleet? The Minister for Finance at the moment has financial responsibility and continuing responsibilities with regard to the Irish Spruce and would the Minister not think it a good idea to make a declaration now that the Irish Spruce would form the base unit of a new Irish deep sea shipping fleet?
That is another question.
The Irish Spruce is owned by a company called Jura Leasing Limited and discussions as to its future are still going on. When I am in a position to make a statement on it, I will do so.
If this committee report that they feel there is a need for a strategic fishing fleet, will the Government be prepared——
We are getting into the area of hypothetical questions.
The Minister has already given a hypothetical reply that they may declare there is no need for a fleet.
And I deprecate that.
I would ask the Government to re-establish an Irish shipping fleet because, as far as I am concerned, establishing the committee is simply a way of putting a decision into the distance.
On the contrary, the decision to set up a committee of people expert in this area is in order to help us to make the right decision. I understand very well the great pressure there is to commit ourselves to setting up a new shipping fleet, but Deputies will be aware of the grave crisis in shipping throughout the world where shipping company after shipping company is going into liquidation, where national fleets are being reduced all over the world and indeed in places very close to home, apart from Ireland, and it would be unwise of me to make any commitment until the committee report.
Does the Minister recall that I gave to the House in a speech on his Estimate statistics on deep sea fleets of small countries? I know there is a depression, I know business is going down, but does he not think that if Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland and so on find it profitable to have a limited deep sea shipping fleet this country also should have the same thing, roughly of the same tonnage?
It certainly follows that in the case of an island country like ours there is a prima facie case for a deep sea shipping fleet. That is what the committee we are setting up will report on.