Vol. 542 No. 1
7 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the number of boats in the Irish fishing fleet over 25 years of age; and if he has satisfied himself that adequate steps are being taken by way of grant support and otherwise to encourage modernisation and in particular to provide for the safety of the fishermen fishing of such vessels. [23421/01]
The latest information available is that of over 2,000 fishing vessels currently on the Irish sea fishing vessel register, 505 are 25 years old or more. Of these vessels, 196 are offshore vessels with the remaining vessels engaging in inshore fishing activity.
The Government launched the first £80 million whitefish fleet renewal programme in 1998 which saw 33 new vessels and 11 second hand vessels enter the fleet. Fifty vessels were modernised under that programme, bringing the total number of modernisations to 299 during the Fisheries Operational Programme 1994-1999. In addition 600 vessels were approved for safety equipment grants.
In June this year the Minister launched the fishing fleet development programme under the national development plan. The strategic focus of the programme is to support the enhancement of the safety, quality and competitiveness of the whitefish fleet.
These two measures taken together will result in total investment of £155 million, 197 million, in the whitefish fleet. This is the largest ever targeted investment in the Irish fishing fleet and will significantly reduce the age profile of the fleet as well as enhancing safety and efficiency. The new programme includes grant aid for the introduction of new vessels and modern second-hand vessels, for the modernisation of existing vessels and for safety and life saving equipment.
Additional InformationIn addition, the initiative provides special assistance to enable young fishermen and women to purchase their first vessel. The new initiative will continue the success of the Whitefish Renewal Programme 1998-1999 by targeting improvements in operational safety, working conditions, efficiency, handling and quality.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara, which administers the scheme, is currently assessing applications under the new programme. As part of the assessment process, BIM has been mandated to ensure that new vessels introduced under the programme are sustainable in the context of the overall fish stock situation and in financial terms will not jeopardise the economic position of vessels already in the fleet. Accordingly, BIM will be giving priority under the terms of the scheme to projects which meet diversification and sustainability objectives for the fleet.
If I understood the figures the Minister of State outlined, of the almost 2,000 vessels currently registered, 299 were modernised between 1994 and 1999. There have been 600 grants for safety equipment, giving a total of 900 out of 2,000 vessels that have been modernised or have had safety equipment grants since 1994. Does the Minister of State not agree that means over half of the existing fleet has either not been modernised or has not been the subject of safety equipment grants since 1994? Will the Minister of State not agree that it constitutes a serious danger to the safety and livelihood of people involved when half of the vessels in our fleet apparently have not had an upgrade of safety equipment.
I live among fishermen and am very concerned about their safety. I will read again the first line of the Minister's reply.
Spare us that waffle.
It is not waffle. Given that you are the master of waffle, I know that you recognise it. In this instance, this is not waffle.
If you make your remarks through the Chair you might have fewer interruptions.
The latest information is not waffle. The latest information is that of over 2,000 fishing vessels currently on the Irish sea fishing vessel register, 505 are over 25 years old or more—
What does that mean?
That means that 1,500 are not, and that is exactly what I read out before. The 505 I was talking about are dealt with under the whitefish fleet renewal programme and the fishing fleet development programme. Until such time as the entire fleet is safe on the seas, I will not be happy.
We will keep trying. Let us leave it to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle to decide who speaks and who does not speak.
I know that 505 of these fishing vessels are over 25 years old. The facts are that on the basis of the information the Minister of State read out, 299 vessels were modernised between 1994 and 1999 while 600 vessels had safety equipment grants, that is, approximately 900 vessels altogether out of a total of 2,000. My deduction is that the remaining 1,100 vessels have not had safety equipment grants or been modernised since 1994. Half the vessels in our fleet would appear not to have benefited from any safety improvements in that period. I worry about that and I hope the Minister of State does too.
Before the Minister responds I call Deputy Connaughton.
In the interim between the end of the old scheme and the introduction of the scheme that has just been announced, is it true that several hundred boat owners have been delayed two or three years in the uptake of the grant because the grant aid simply was not there? Will the Minister of State confirm that there are actual approvals for grant aid and the grants are freely available?
I want to inform Deputy Dukes that I am continuously worried about the situation. The more people who are concerned about this matter, the more action will be taken. Of the almost 1,500 trawlers that are less than 25 years old, some of them do not require modernisation because they are relatively new. It would, therefore, be wrong to suggest that 1,100 do not have safety equipment because many of them do. I know the Deputy's heart is in the right place and wish to assure him that we will try to deal with all of them. It is in all our interests to see that safety equipment is on board all our trawlers, whatever their age.
In regard to Deputy Connaughton's question, I have to admit that there were delays, unacceptable delays in some instances. This is something that crosses my desk regularly as it does the Minister's – and I am sure many other Deputies as well – in order to put pressure on Departments to move a bit faster. The money is there and I believe it will be well used in this area.
