Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 Mar 2003

Vol. 562 No. 4

Central Fisheries Board.

Mr. Costello

The Minister of State is well aware of the matter I am raising. It dates back to the original proposal to permanently decentralise the Central Fisheries Board, based in Mobhi Boreen in Glasnevin in the constituency I share with the Taoiseach, to Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim. I do not know if the Minister of State has information on whether that is still the proposal. Certainly it has not been acted upon for a considerable period.

The Minister of State will be aware that this proposal would affect 60 people. The Central Fisheries Board has been in its present location for more than 20 years. Decentralisation is a voluntary matter. All the conditions negotiated by the trade union movement with the civil servants would apply, if the board were permanently decentralised.

However, out of the blue the position has changed. Temporary compulsory relocation is now the order of the day in relation to block A and block B in Maynooth. This arose out of a survey carried out by the Office of Public Works's special project unit on 16 January. It determined that the existing premises were in an abysmal condition. I am amazed that this suddenly dawned on the people concerned. The conditions described in the report are as bad as one could find. It states that the buildings were poorly converted, there are prefab buildings, it is virtually impossible to upgrade the structure, the structure does not conform to modern fire regulations, it is in breach of health and safety standards and the report also refers to portable heaters, electricity failure and to the laboratory facilities being totally inadequate. It is amazing how the staff manage to carry out their work, given this plethora of failures in the system and shortfalls in terms of accommodation, even to the extent of the existence of asbestos wall panels and an inadequate fire alarm system and external lighting.

It seems amazing that these inadequate conditions should suddenly have dawned on the people concerned. The dire conditions in the premises could not have happened overnight. Does it not represent gross negligence that no effort was made to improve conditions or to undertake repairs prior to this?

When the board met on 7 February, it decided that all the staff should be relocated block A and block B of the business park in Maynooth, irrespective of whether they like it or not. The board stated at its last meeting that should the relocation to block B not have taken place by the next board meeting scheduled for 6 March, the board in light of the present circumstances will give serious consideration to determining a date by which Balnagowan should be vacated. The board is putting the gun to the heads of all the workers in the Central Fisheries Board in Glasnevin. The staff there are facing involuntary temporary relocation. It is up in the air as to what is happening in terms of the permanent relocation, transfer or decentralisation of the board to Carrick-on-Shannon.

The Fisheries Act 1980 is specific in relation to the transfer conditions that would be enjoyed by the staff in such a situation. Subsection (3) of the relevant section states that a member of the central board's transferred staff shall not, while in the service of the central board, receive less remuneration or be subject to less than official conditions of service than the remuneration to which he was entitled and the conditions of service to which, immediately before his transfer by virtue of this section, he was subject to in the service from which he was so transferred. Will the members of staff who are being compulsorily transferred to Maynooth be subject to these conditions? It seems the board has no intention of extending the conditions of the 1980 Act to them. It also seems that the board has no intention of negotiating with SIPTU any normal arrangements in relation to compensation, voluntary early retirement or severance pay.

What about retention of the existing allocation of offices? If the staff are to embark on one relocation, will they then be subject to another? Will the Minister of State give a clear-cut answer as to his intentions for the staff of the Central Fisheries Board?

Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (Mr. Browne)

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The Central Fisheries Board is a non-commercial semi-State body established under the Fisheries Act 1980 and operating under the aegis of my Department. The principal functions of the board are to advise the Minister on policy relating to the conservation, protection, management, development and improvement of inland fisheries and sea angling, to support, co-ordinate and provide specialist support services to the regional fisheries boards and to advise on the performance by the boards of their functions. The Central Fisheries Board also undertakes applied research in areas of fisheries development, water quality, etc.

At any time up to 60 of the board's staff, including administrative, professional and technical grades, are headquartered at Mobhi Boreen, Glasnevin, Dublin. The premises is a former large residence constructed in the 1930s and used for office accommodation since the 1970s with an accumulation of attached prefabricated buildings which, I understand, are described as inappropriate for their existing use.

Both the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, and I are committed to the permanent relocation of the Central Fisheries Board to modern facilities suited to the staff's requirements in Carrick-on-Shannon. My predecessor asked management, staff and the unions at the board to enter into discussions on the transfer in April 2002.

Since that time we committed in the programme for Government to moving forward the decentralisation of Government offices and agencies. We also pledged that the needs of the Border, midlands and western region would continue to be addressed. The decentralisation of the Central Fisheries Board to Carrick-on-Shannon complies with these commitments and will be a progressive move towards balanced regional development.

I reiterate the commitment to the staff that this decentralisation will be advanced on a partnership basis and on the understanding that relocation to Carrick-on-Shannon will be on a voluntary basis and in accordance with the conditions of the Government's programme for decentralisation of the public service.

Last year emergency works were carried out in Glasnevin which included the supply and installation of emergency lighting on escape routes and a basic fire alarm, upgrading the existing electrical installations to rectify urgent and major problems identified, and the supply and installation of external lighting around the premises. These works will not bring the facility to an acceptable level or standard and are merely emergency works to reduce the risk of accidents.

The serious deficiencies that exist in the premises cannot be corrected without major intervention and for this reason the Office of Public Works is engaged in identifying suitable temporary accommodation for the board, both in Carrick-on-Shannon and elsewhere. In the circumstances there appears to be no alternative to transferring existing staff to temporary accommodation on an interim basis, as advised by the Office of Public Works, pending settlement of arrangements for permanent relocation to Carrick-on-Shannon.

I visited the offices of the Central Fisheries Board last year. One member of staff told me I was the only Minister ever to have paid a visit. I found the offices to be dilapidated and unsuitable for the people who work there. We gave a commitment that if property was not available in Carrick-on-Shannon in the short-term, we would ask the Office of Public Works to look elsewhere. I understand it has done so and that Maynooth has been mentioned, but I also understand it has examined the possibility of temporary accommodation in Carrick-on-Shannon.

In light of what the Deputy said about an imminent board meeting, I will contact the chief executive officer of the board, Mr. O'Connor, to ascertain the up-to-date position and report back directly to the Deputy.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.05 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 5 March 2003.