The House will now hear one minute statements on matters appropriate to the Minister for Finance and to the Minister for the Marine. I propose to call, first, Deputy Michael Noonan (Limerick East) to make a one minute statement appropriate to the Minister for Finance.
Adjournment Debate. - Finance and Marine Matters.
(Limerick East): I want to raise the inadequacy of a reply I received to Question No. 60 on yesterday's Order Paper. The Minister is re-organising the ordnance survey service and is setting up an office in Ennis. The ten staff which will be allocated to Ennis are all living in Limerick city. It is of no benefit to the economy of Ennis or Clare, it is of no advantage to the economy of Limerick but merely a matter of convenience for ten staff. The addresses of the staff are O'Callaghan's Strand, Limerick; Corbally, Limerick; Singland, Limerick; Castletroy Limerick; Caherdavin, Limerick; Castleconnell, Limerick; Ballyneety, Limerick; Kilmallock, Limerick; Nenagh, Limerick and one man from Fedamore, Limerick, who is in the office in Dublin and wishes to get back to Limerick. There are two ordnance survey staff with Clare addresses: one in Shannon — Limerick is as convenient to Ennis — and one in Miltown Malbay who wants to work in Galway and will go to Tuam.
I would also like to point out to the Minister that in a regional layout an office in Cork, an office in Limerick and an office in Tuam would more adequately service regions than the layout which he is suggesting. For the convenience of the staff covering the regions it makes no sense to require ten people to drive 30 miles to Ennis when they can drive one and a half miles, two miles or three miles into Limerick city.
The Minister said that he acted on the advice of the Office of Public Works. However, I do not think he had full information and I ask him to change the decision. I regret having to bring the Minister into the House at this hour, I know he is very busy working in the national interest. This is a minor matter. It has nothing to do with which town wins or which town loses; it is simply to convenience ten staff who want to work near the area in which thy live. There is no justification for shifting them 30 miles away.
I now ask Deputy Michael Finucane to put two matters to the Minister for the Marine. In this instance the Deputy has two minutes at his disposal.
As a member of Foynes Harbour Trustees, I want to acknowledge the Government's contribution in providing finance for extra berthage in Foynes. As the Minister knows, Foynes Harbour is celebrating its centenary this year and at present it is making tremendous progress. Some finance has already been paid and even though the project is sufficiently advanced the harbour trustees could do with an extra injection of finance to help the cashflow situation. I want to ask the Minister when he anticipates such finance will be forthcoming. As 50 per cent of the financing was based on an estimated cost and there is now a financial overrun in excess of £60,000, can the Minister give us a further assurance that an extra sum will be provided for 50 per cent of this extra cost?
Aquaculture in Ireland has already created over 2,000 jobs directly and has helped to create further jobs in the areas of supplies and services. This industry has great potential for development. The chemical Nuvan, a treatment for sea lice, is used at present to ensure healthy fish life but there is an urgent necessity to find a naturally based alternative to Nuvan to allay the widespread concern at the use of this chemical.
Independent research has shown that this chemical is cancer inducing to humans involved in administering it. What training procedures are involved in the use of the chemical? What controls are used in administering of same? How successful is the research to find an alternative? Does the Minister agree that an alternative should be found?
Ballina, although not the county town, is the largest town in County Mayo. It has the highest unemployment rate in the county and one of the highest in the country at 23 per cent. Devastated by emigration and a lack of jobs, Ballina, under the aegis of the Integrated Resources Development Agency, is putting together an integrated programme of local initiatives. These involve the development of local tourism, services, resources and industrial enterprises. Ballina is the only port in Mayo and has a long and proud tradition, but unfortunately it is not being used because of a lack of commercial activity. However, its facilities and warehousing, although rundown, have potential. It needs major development which, of course, will require finance.
It is obvious that many of the wholesale and industrial enterprises now operating in Ballina, the north Mayo region, of which Ballina is the capital, and the county generally would use the greatly enhanced port facilities if they were developed rather than having to use the long and tortuous route to Dublin. I ask the Minister to consider developing this port in conjunction with any other plans which may have been submitted to him by the local Integrated Resource Development for the development of the river as a port and a marina.
In 1975 a licence was granted to a committee representing the farmers in a number of parishes in the north Kerry and west Limerick areas to remove beach material from Ballybunion beach, County Kerry. The licence was subject to a number of conditions, including the prohibition of the use of mechanical diggers and shovels other than front and rear loading shovels mounted on agricultural tractors. This condition was blatantly flouted, and as a result, the beach has been seriously damaged.
Kerry County Council applied to the Department of the Marine to introduce an order to prohibit the removal of beach material from Ballybunion beach. Last November the Minister for the Marine made an order revoking the 1975 foreshore order and prohibiting the removal by any person of beach material of any kind other than seaweed from Ballybunion beach. However, some farmers claim a separate arrangement was made with the Department of Transport and Power, the responsible Department at that time, on 18 July 1977. This agreement was signed by an official of that Department. Can these farmers continue to remove sand from the beach because of the existence of this agreement? It is important that the Minister clarifies the position in regard to the 1977 licence. Can he confirm that the 1990 order can be enforced?
The two Ministers have five minutes between them to utilise as they think appropriate.
As Deputy Noonan will appreciate, I was faced with numerous requests that units of the Ordinance Survey Office be established in particular locations. In the final analysis I had to select six locations, Cork, Ennis, Kilkenny, Longford, Sligo and Tuam. Unfortunately there had to be losers as well as winners.
Under the broad decentralisation programme, Limerick city is set to benefit substantially from the planned relocation of approximately 900 staff form the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. The great bulk of these, about 550, will be located in Limerick, with about 200 going to Nenagh and about 150 to Ennis. In all the circumstances I felt that the choice of Ennis for this small office of fewer than 20 staff would be better than Limerick in view of the large numbers assigned to Limerick from the Office of the Revenue Commissioners.
Limerick West): The operational programme on peripherality was approved by the EC Commission in August of this year and the first tranche of EC grant aid assistance was paid to the harbour authorities on 20 November 1990. My Department are now working on the information necessary to facilitate the payment of a further tranche of EC grant aid. I am hopeful that further EC grant assistance will be available early in the new Year but I cannot give an exact date at this stage. There is no provision in the operational programme on peripherality, as agreed by the European Commission, for extra funding in the event of any additional costs being incurred on any project.
Nuvan is the proprietary name for a pesticide preparation which is based on dichlorvos and which is used to control sea lice in farmed salmon. I am advised that this preparation poses little, if any, risk either to human health or the marine environment. Dichlorvos does not persist in the marine environment as it breaks down rapidly in sea water. Very little dichlorvos enters the salmon flesh where, in any event, it would also be broken down rapidly.
Nevertheless in addition to standard licence requirements on the use of chemicals in fish farming generally, my Department operate a number of controls specifically for Nuvan. These include the nomination of an operative at every salmon farm responsible for the use and administration of the substance, such as notification to the Department on each occasion Nuvan is used and the amount used, the safe disposal of surpluses and containers and the keeping of comprehensive records.
I would also refer the Deputy to the provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989, which imposes on all employers, including fishfarmers, specific statutory obligations in occupational safety and health matters, including in the case, for example, of chemical usage the provision of all relevant information, protective gear and training to employees.
The development of Ballina port is a matter in the first instance for the River Moy Commissioners, the body responsible for the management, control and operation of the port. All applications for State and EC grant aid towards the cost of harbour development works are assessed to determine whether they are justified and to ensure that there would be a realistic return on any investment. I understand that Ballina does not attract commercial or fishing vessels to any great extent.
I wish to assure Deputy Deenihan that the Government take a very serious view of the removal of sand and other beach material from Ballybunion beach. I am aware of local concern that such activity may be damaging this fine amenity and adjoining lands and property.
On 1 November last, the Minister made an Order under the Foreshore Act, 1933, in respect of an area of seashore at Ballybunion. This Order, which prohibits the unauthorised removal of beach material, is designed to be more effective than the 1975 Ballybunion Prohibition Order, which it replaces, by virtue of the more extensive area of seashore covered by it and due to its remaining in force throughout the year.
The Department of the Marine are currently reviewing the utilisation and impact of a foreshore licence granted in 1977 to the trustees of a committee of farmers of certain parishes in County Kerry which authorises the removal of beach material at Ballybunion subject to certain conditions.
The Dáil adjourned at 11.42 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 13 December 1990.