asked the Minister for the Marine the contact his Department had from the EC Commission in July 1987 concerning Irish aquaculture projects submitted under the fisheries structures policy/or the December tranche; if it was indicated to his Department that the cost structure of the Irish projects submitted was unsatisfactory; and the action which was taken by his Department to correct this situation.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers - Acquaculture Projects.
28.
During discussions in July last year with officials of my Department on the multi-annual guidance programme for aquaculture, representatives of the European Commission raised the question of the cost structure of a number of the aquaculture projects submitted by Ireland. I felt that the best way to proceed was to have the promoters concerned meet directly with Commission officials and on 22 July last year a group from the Irish Aquaculture Association accompanied by officials of Roinn na Mara went to Brussels for such a meeting. Discussions focused primarily on the cost structure issue and the Irish side felt after the meeting that any doubts or reservations which had existed on the Commission side had been cleared up.
Following disappointment at the level of grant aid approved for Irish aquaculture projects in the December tranche, I raised the matter specifically at the Council of Fisheries Ministers meeting in December last year. The matter has been raised with the Commission at official level on a number of occasions since. I have augmented the resources available to the aquaculture division of my Department and liaison with the EC Commission and the industry is being stepped up.
The Irish Aquaculture Association have been invited to meet senior officials of my Department at their earliest convenience to discuss the most effective approach to promotion of aquaculture here with European support.
As the Deputy can see, the matter has been vigorously pursued by my Department to ensure that the maximum grant aid possible is available to Irish promoters.
As you know, a Cheann Comhairle, this is a follow-up to previous parliamentary questions and discussions that we have had in this House on this matter of the appallingly inadequate treatment of Ireland from the structures policy point of view, particularly the 1987 tranche. Will the Minister accept the following statement as true? It has been issued by the Commission to myself in response to a criticism I have made of the treatment of Ireland. The statement is as follows:
The Irish Authorities were fully informed in July 1987 of the new situation and at the time it was clearly indicated to the Authorities that the cost structure of the Irish projects submitted were unsatisfactory and did not compare favourably with similar projects in other Member States of the Community. No action was taken to correct this situation by modifying the projects which had been submitted for grant aid.
Does the Minister accept that contention because there hangs the future, as far as I am concerned, for adequate grant aiding of our fisheries section under the structures policy, particularly the aquaculture section which was so badly treated?
It would be remiss of the Chair if he did not point out that quotations at Question Time are not in order.
I accept that. May I have a response to that point?
If it is a statement from the Commission, one of which I am not aware, I accept that it is a statement from the Commission. I would point out, however, that in July of last year we ensured that officials of the Department dealing with the aquaculture project met with the representatives of the Commission, particularly in relation to the cost structure. The industry, those from the Irish Aquaculture Association, left the meeting quite happy and felt that all the doubts that had existed had been cleared up. Unfortunately, in December, particularly in the middle of December, when the Minister and I were in Brussels at a Council meeting and decisions were taken, I could not hide my disappointment. I had been quite satisfied that up to £3.5 million would be available for aquacultural projects here. I was extremely anxious that the eight or nine projects which were on their last leg would be grant-aided in that tranche. I continue to pursue this matter and did so again last week at the Council meeting. I shall continue to do my utmost to ensure that we in this country obtain our fair share. That is all that we are looking for and the Council are well aware of our attitude.
Does the Minister accept that difficulties arose with one Irish project which was selected at random as a test case, as it were, and that the comparisons subsequently made by the Commission were invalid? I understand they took a bridgestone cage technology from the west of Ireland — we are talking now about salmon — and compared it with polar circular technology used at a certain site off the coast of the United Kingdom. The comparisons involved were not valid and, as a result, the difficulties which have subsequently arisen need to be resolved immediately, particularly if this line of argument is going to be used with regard to future applications. To ensure our success in the future for FEOGA grant aiding — or grant aiding under the structures policy, as it is more properly called now — we will have to resolve the particular difficulty in relation to the latest tranche. Otherwise we shall have major problems for the future of our aquaculture industry.
In the past there was never a problem in relation to the bridgestone cage, which has been manufactured in this country.
It is the comparisons of the cost structures of the different technologies.
There was never a problem with regard to the cost structure in the past. It is important to point out, in relation to the meeting in July and, in addition to my statement to the Council of Ministers on 15 December, that officials in the Department have met with officials of the Commission. Bilateral discussions have taken place. The new structures regime to which the Deputy refers is a five year one. I want to assure the House that for the next four years we shall work vigorously to ensure a levelling off and that there is a fair, balanced structure over that period.
The Minister will have to resolve the problems that occurred this year, and the basis of their difficulties is our lack of funding. Does the Minister feel that that has been adequately explained by the Commission and resolved?
In order to ensure that it will be adequately resolved we have augmented the resources available to the aquaculture division of the Department and liaison with the Community and the industry has been stepped up. It is also proposed that an official from the aquaculture section of the Department will spend some time in Brussels with Commission officials involved in the processing of aquaculture projects. That has been agreed by the Commission and arrangements for the visit will be finalised shortly. That is absolutely essential and I am convinced that over the five year period of this structured regime the grants will be much higher than the £1.4 million which we received this year.