Vol. 392 No. 2
asked the Minister for the Marine when he expects the review group set up by him to make its final report; their terms of reference; the names of the members of the review group; if commitments were given that sea fishing licences would be granted to established fishermen; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the freezing of some applications has serious consequences for a number of fishermen; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
38.
asked the Minister for the Marine the current position with regard to the issuing of boat licences for fishing in Irish waters; when the last licences were issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
51.
asked the Minister for the Marine the reason for the delay in the issuing of trawler licences to applicants; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some of these applicants have been involved in fishing most of their working lives; if his Department's review group has completed its report; if so, the result; if he will sanction those whose application was submitted before the review body was set up; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
52.
asked the Minister for the Marine the number of applications for trawler fishing licences at present before his Department; the origin by county of these applications; the total number from (a) applicants currently involved in fishing (b) those not involved in fishing at all and (c) those not involved currently in direct fishing but who are involved in other commercial areas of the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 38, 51 and 52 together.
I have established the Sea Fishing Boat Licensing Review Group with the following terms of reference:
To recommend to the Minister for the Marine the sea-fishing boat licensing policy that should be adopted to ensure the optimum development of the Irish sea fishing industry; and
the procedures that should be adopted to ensure that licence applications are processed in a consistent, efficient manner and in conformity with the stated policy.
The terms of reference also provide that in considering these matters the group should take account of
(i) all aspects of the Irish sea fishing industry including the present fleet, employment opportunities, stocks, safety and downstream industries (fish processing, boat construction and ancillary services); and
(ii) the implications of present and possible future EC policy in relation to fleet restructuring and management.
The group comprises the following officials from my Department:
Mr. Brendan Cahill (Chairman), Mr. John O'Connor, Ms. Deirdre O'Keeffe, Mr. Sean O'Donoghue and Mr. David Griffith. Mr. Alex Heskin of An Bord Iascaigh Mhara is also a member and Mr. John Moloney of my Department acts as Secretary to the group.
My hope is to have the review completed before the end of 1989. In the meantime consideration of applications in respect of vessels wishing to enter the fleet has been deferred pending completion of this review. All applicants for sea-fishing boat licences have been advised of this and have been invited to make submissions to the group.
Some specific commitments to grant licences had been made prior to the setting up of the review group and I shall honour these. I think it important to draw the Deputy's attention to the long standing practice of advising licence applicants not to enter into any financial commitment prior to their individual cases being determined. The application forms contain a warning to this effect. I should, perhaps, explain that the policy review was initiated in order to establish a sound and equitable basis for processing licence applications in the interests of existing fishermen and potential new entrants to the industry. As you are no doubt aware, some of our fish stocks are under severe pressure and it would make little sense to allow additional capacity partake in such fisheries thus undermining the livelihoods of established operators. In respect of other fisheries the number of actual applicants may exceed what could reasonably be accommodated. In these cases, I am most conscious of the need to ensure that the best applicants will be chosen on the basis of objective criteria and not on an ad hoc basis.
The last licences to facilitate the registration of vessels were issued at the end of August. The current position is that 127 applications are on hand.
The breakdown of the applications by county is as follows: Clare, 1; Cork, 32; Donegal, 19; Dublin, 17; Galway, 7; Kerry, 13; Limerick, 2; Louth, 8; Sligo, 2; Waterford, 8; Wexford, 14; Wicklow, 4.
Indications from an initial assessment of these applications are that 90 per cent are involved or have been involved in sea-fishing or in some activity associated with the sea-fishing industry. Precise information will not be available until the applications are assessed in full.
I am determined that there should be full consultation and in that regard the group has sought written submissions from interested organisations and from the public. In addition, the group has met organisations representing various sectors of the industry and I am informed that some have started a process of internal consultation with their members. I should add that representatives of the fishermen's organisations generally accept that the review is long overdue.
Indeed, to facilitate full consultation, an advertisement appeared in the national and provincial press as well as in industry related journals in early September inviting submissions to the group. Some fishermen and associations associated with the sea-fishing industry have been in communication with the group. Others have indicated to me that the timescale for submissions was too short and I have agreed, as an exceptional measure, to extend the closing date from 13 October until 1 November.
