asked the Minister for the Marine if he will give details of the marine research and technology institute that the Government intend to set up; if provisions have been made to fund it; the way in which it will be staffed; if it will have a chief executive; and if so, on what salary.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Proposed Marine Research and Technology Institute.
15.
The establishment as soon as possible of a marine research and technology institute under the aegis of my Department is part of Government policy for the development of marine affairs. Detailed proposals including funding and staffing for the establishment of the institute are under consideration by my Department but, as the Deputy will appreciate, the finalisation of these proposals will take some time.
What are the Minister's plans for the future of the Fisheries Research Centre with or without a fish patholiogist if, and when, we set up the marine research technological institute, which I laud?
The Deputy will be aware that at present many agencies engage in this activity, for instance, the Central Fisheries Board, the Salmon Research Trust, Údarás na Gaeltachta, BIM, the universities and areas under the Department. One of the handicaps to the development of our marine research and technology has been the lack of co-ordination, overlapping and in some cases duplication. The whole purpose of the institute is to avoid that and to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the overall development of our marine research and technology. Legislation will be required before the institute can be formally established. Many issues must be taken into account before we get that legislation through here, but my intention will be perhaps to establish an interim board of some kind to enable the work to get under way as soon as possible pending enactment of the necessary legislation.
Can the Minister give this House any guarantee on this? Much as we all welcome, in principle at any rate, the establishment of a marine research and technology institute which, indeed, is long overdue, could the Minister give some guarantee that it will not be top heavy with administrators and just another monolith? Is he aware that ten years ago the proportion of primary workers to administrators in the whole area of R and D in support services for the fishing industry was 3:1 and it is now 3:10, three primary workers to 10 administrators? Will this continue or will we have more people back at the actual research and development which is what is needed from this new research institute?
Our intention will be to keep administration to the very minimum, bearing in mind that there are various bodies and institutions at present engaged in this type of activity and that they have been working up to now mainly individually, on their own, without any overall co-ordinated approach. The rationale behind the establishment of the institute is to co-ordinate the activities of the various agencies and bodies that have been involved in this area so as to get the maximum benefit in the whole research area.
At this stage, and pending the enactment of legislation, it is not possible to give the Deputy an indication but the general thrust and approach would be to avoid duplication and fragmentation and to keep administration to the minimum but, at the same time, to ensure that the research institute will work efficiently, effectively and quickly to undertake the work which is so essential for the development of the marine economy at this time.
A final supplementary.
I accept that it is early days yet and we must be, and indeed will be, reasonable. Has the Minister any time scale or projection for having this institute take effect? When would he expect it to be in situ and up and running, as it were?
As an interim measure, I am satisfied that within a very short time, within a few months, work can get under way. As the Deputy will be aware, some work has already been done by a task force which was established by the previous Minister with responsibility for industry. They have already issued an interim and detailed report setting out their ideas, having studied the situation very carefully as to how such an institute might be organised. I am not saying that is the one that will form the framework and basis for our institute but it is a very detailed document which has raised very important issues and certainly it is a basis on which some action could be taken. It is my intention that we have this institute in place at the very earliest opportunity so that it can get on with its work. We do not have to await the legislation which will be necessary formally to establish the institute. We can get work under way almost immediately and this is my intention.