Vol. 542 No. 1
6 Mr. Dukes asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the number of fisheries inspectors who are engaged in the inspection of seafood processing plants; the qualifications they have for this work; the training they have received; the proportion of their time which is devoted to plant inspection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23402/01]
The Department deploys 34 sea fishery officers on inspections of seafood processing plants throughout the country. All the sea fishery officers are qualified to diploma level in fisheries technology or have higher qualifications in related disciplines, about which I am happy.
My Department is giving particular priority to training for sea fishery officers in food safety legislative and technical standards and procedures. A programme of training modules, workshops and seminars is ongoing in conjunction with the National Food Centre, BIM and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. The range of subjects covered includes HACCP or hazard analysis of critical control points design and auditing, the microbiology of food, fish and fishery products, shellfish hygiene, fish hygiene technology, EU market standards, third country imports, fish identification, EU shellfish, fish and fishery product regulations.
The Department undertakes seafood safety regulation and inspection under contract with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI. This contract operates to ensure all national and EU food regulations are enforced to EU and FSAI requirements and is the subject of ongoing review by the Department and the FSAI. To ensure required standards of food safety are in place, inspections are routinely carried out at fish processing plants, shellfish dispatch centres, auction halls, shellfish production areas, ice plants and fishing vessels.
The proportion of time devoted to seafood safety inspection varies operationally and is given a high priority within the full range of duties of a sea fishery officer. In percentage terms, the Department currently devotes up to 60% of its sea fishing inspectorate resources to food safety- related duties.
Does the Minister of State agree that the range of duties listed is of such a breadth that it is unlikely that they could all be carried out effectively or efficiently by any one person? Is he aware that during the last 12 months the seafood processing inspectorate function of his Department was audited by the European Commission, with the result that the book was thrown at the inspectorate for deficiencies in the way it went around its job? Does he agree that it is now time to reorganise the structure of the seafood fishery inspectorate in order that staff can specialise to a greater degree and will not find themselves one day inspecting log books and fishing vessels landing fish and the next having to inspect sophisticated fish processing operations?
I am pleased to be able to tell the Deputy that Europe was quite complimentary in its most recent report on our food safety activities.
When was that?
I only heard about it this morning, in Galway. I am excited about it. I will give the Deputy the information he wants.
The Minister of State should have the information with him when he comes into the House.
I will provide the detail of what we have done in matters of food safety in the past year.
The Minister of State is generous with the blather.
I do not need lectures from the Deputy. I will provide the information if he is polite. I am being generous in providing additional information to that sought, and the Deputy should be gracious in taking it on board. The Department's sea fishery officers have access to fish from the time it is caught to the time it appears as a finished product. The inspectors benefit greatly from having this comprehensive access to fish and fishery products. Their detailed knowledge of fish and fishery products is of great value when they can take this holistic approach to inspecting a box of fish or fish products.
I ask the Minister of State again whether he thinks that the range of services provided by the fisheries inspectorate would benefit from a restructuring in order to allow an amount of specialisation among staff in order that fisheries inspectors do not find themselves one day inspecting log books and fishing vessels landing catches and the next having to inspect sophisticated fish processing operations. The two are quite different.
What makes the Deputy such a great man, from holding the wonderful positions that he has held—
The Minister of State should stop his blather and answer the question.
Deputy Dukes, the time for this question is concluded.
The Minister of State never answers the question.
What makes the Deputy a great man is that he has a handle on every aspect of politics. It is the same for fisheries officers. The wider the scope of their job the better fisheries officers they will make.
