Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 6 Apr 1993

Vol. 429 No. 3

Written Answers. - Fisheries Boards.

Enda Kenny

Question:

160 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for the Marine the number of personnel employed in each fisheries board area in 1981 and in 1991; if he will give details of the number of vacancies that remain to be filled; and the proposals, if any, he has in respect of each fisheries board area to carry out recruitment for the protection service.

Minister for the Marine (Mr. Andrews)

The number of personnel employed in each fisheries board area in 1981 and in 1991 is as follows:

Board	Staff Compliment at 31-12-81	Staff Compliment at 31-12-91
Central	*172	41
Eastern	38	31
Southern	39	28
South Western	43	27
Shannon	25	46
Western	21	41
North Western	33	31
Northern	31	39
Totals	402	284

* Staffing in the Central Fisheries Board for 1981 included development staff for all the regional boards. These were subsequently transferred to each region.

As regards remaining vacancies a significant number of priority posts within the central and regional fisheries boards have been identified and as I indicated in reply to Question No. 2 on 24 February 1993 I am examining all possible avenues to have these filled. Not all vacancies occurring in the fisheries boards are fillable due to the staff concerned having taken advantage of various early retirement and voluntary redundancy schemes implemented by Government over the years, one of the terms of which was that persons availing of them would not be replaced.

The Deputy will appreciate that I am pursuing this matter against the background of a very difficult budgetary situation.