I thank the Chairman. Current responsibility for the management and development of the inland fisheries sector resides with the Central Fisheries Board and the seven regional fisheries boards. The Second Stage of the Inland Fisheries Bill 2009 was debated last night and as a result committee members will be aware that this new legislation will rationalise the management of the inland fisheries sector through the establishment of a national inland fisheries body to be known as Inland Fisheries Ireland. This body will be responsible for the protection, management and development of our inland fisheries resource, with a clear mandate to achieve value for money and efficiencies whilst ensuring the conservation and sustainable exploitation of our inland fisheries resource in the future. This follows on from the Government programme on the rationalisation of State bodies generally. Inland Fisheries Ireland will replace the existing central and regional fisheries boards. I expect this new body will be established as soon as possible after the enactment of the required primary legislation. This legislation was published on the 18 November 2009 and will now be progressed through the legislative process.
While it had been hoped to have the new structures for the management of the inland fisheries sector in place by now, this did not prove possible due to the complexities in drafting the Bill and the need, in the interest of better regulation, to restate a number of provisions from existing inland fisheries legislation in this Bill.
The committee will be aware that elections to the regional fisheries boards would be due to take place later this month following an extension agreed by the Oireachtas last year. Elections to the regional boards have been postponed for the past number of years and I accept this is a far from satisfactory position. However, having considered the options open to me this year and in cognisance of the forthcoming establishment of Inland Fisheries Ireland, I believe it would not be prudent to ask the boards to incur the costs of arranging elections and appointing new members for what would be a very limited period. In the circumstances, there is no alternative but to seek Oireachtas approval to make an order postponing the elections for a further year. The only option available to me is to postpone the elections for a year and the new legislation will then supersede the order which I hope the committee will sanction today. I can assure the committee that I am determined this will be my sole and final request to postpone elections to the regional fisheries boards. The new legislation, as published, provides that on the establishment of Inland Fisheries Ireland, the term of office of the members of the existing boards will expire.
For some time now it has been acknowledged that the current systems governing our inland fisheries resource are in need of restructuring and a number of alternative proposals have been considered in recent years. The committee will recall that in seeking sanction to postpone the elections last year, the then Minister of State advised of the Government's commitment to reduce the number of State bodies and agencies and that as part of this rationalisation process a new national inland fisheries body was to be established to replace the existing fisheries boards. This decision supersedes all other restructuring proposals previously under consideration for the inland fisheries sector and arrangements were put in place to have it implemented.
Early in the year, a small group chaired by the Department and with representation on behalf of the central and regional fisheries boards developed the key features of the new model and advised on the legislative provisions required to deliver the new regime. I have met and discussed these changes with the fisheries liaison group, the chairs of the fisheries boards and with other interested stakeholders. To give effect to these changes, the Government has approved a suite of measures to facilitate the restructuring of the inland fisheries sector and the creation of Inland Fisheries Ireland with strong regional executive structures to be aligned on the basis of the river basin districts. Approval was also secured to a draft scheme of a Bill to give effect to the restructuring proposals. While initially the single purpose of the Inland Fisheries Bill 2009 was to provide for the establishment of Inland Fisheries Ireland, it was decided that, in the interest of better regulation, a number of provisions of existing inland fisheries legislation would be restated in the Bill. This ensures that as many provisions as possible pertaining to the new body are contained in a single statute. I believe this makes for a more comprehensive and user-friendly piece of legislation.
In addition, the Department was required to identify existing legislation, both primary and secondary, with references to the central and regional fisheries boards and provide for appropriate amendments to ensure that those provisions will apply to Inland Fisheries Ireland on its establishment. Committee members will note from the detailed Schedules to the Bill that this was quite a considerable exercise. These factors, coupled with competing demands for the time of Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, contributed to the time taken to bring the legislation forward.
However, I am pleased to say that the legislation has been published and on foot of the very useful debate last night, I am confident of it progressing through the Oireachtas. I would hope it will be brought forward to enactment without any undue delay. I am willing to listen to the views of the Opposition spokespersons on how this legislation may be improved. In seeking agreement to this postponement of elections, I firmly believe that we are well on the road to establishing the new body. Given that the current term of office for both elected and appointed board members is coterminous, the order when made will extend the term of office of all existing board members. The order will also result in the postponement of election to co-operative societies. Similarly, on the establishment of Inland Fisheries Ireland, all of these bodies will cease to exist. In the circumstances, I trust the committee will recommend that the Dáil and Seanad should pass appropriate motions approving the order to defer the elections and I thank members for their consideration of this matter. I thank the members opposite for their contributions last night.
