Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 25 Jun 1980

Fishery Harbour Centres Bill, 1980: Second Stage.

Question proposed: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

Minister for Fisheries and Forestry (Mr. Power)

Two amendments of the Fishery Harbour Centres Act, 1968, are provided for under this Bill. The maximum fine on summary conviction for offences under the 1968 Act will be increased to £500 and Rossaveal, County Galway, will be substituted for Galway in the schedule to the Fishery Harbour Centres Act, 1968, as a harbour in relation to which a Fishery Harbour Centre Order may be made.

When the parent Act was passed 12 years ago, the choice of Galway as the location of a fishery harbour centre on the west coast was supported by the Swedish Harbour Consultant, Mr. Carl G Bjuke. He had been engaged by the Government to advise about the harbours most suitable for development as major fishery harbours. Work on the establishment of a major fishery harbour adjacent to the commercial harbour at Galway began in 1969. The work was suspended due to local objections and demands for additional works which would have substantially increased the cost of the scheme.

The Government then decided in 1972 to provide facilities at Rossaveal, County Galway, to meet the immediate needs of the fishing fleet on the west coast. The facilities provided there included a new pier with a stormwall, an additional paved area adjoining the pier to accommodate various ancillary facilities, a causeway from the old to the new pier and dredging of the harbour and approach channel. These facilities were completed by 1978 and, in addition, the approach road to the harbour was improved. An ice-plant was also provided on the pier.

The decision to improve the facilities at Rossaveal proved to be fully justified. Although these facilities are limited, landings of fish at Rossaveal have been so substantial during 1979 that fish landings there were the fifth highest of all the harbours in the country and were 76 per cent higher than the landings at Galway during the same period. This is understandable in view of the saving of time and fuel oil by the trawlers in landing at Rossaveal instead of at Galway.

The further development of Rossaveal Harbour can best be achieved by transferring responsibility for its development and management from Galway County Council to my Department and designating it as a major fishery harbour centre. To do this, the harbour must be included in the schedule to the Fishery Harbour Act, 1968, as a harbour in relation to which a Fishery Harbour Centre Order may be made. This will, of course, entail dropping Galway from the harbours to be developed as fishery harbour centres. Under this amending legislation the harbours to be developed as fishery harbour centres will be Castletownbere, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Rossaveal.

Ar ndóigh, tá Ros an Mhíl i gceantar Ghaeltachta. Is áis mhór do na h-iascairí as Oileáin Árainn comh maith le h-íascairí na mór-thíre na feabhasuithe atá curtha i gcrich cheana féin ag Cuan Ros an Mhíl trí airgead Stáit, thart ar milliún púnt, a bheith ar fáil ó Roinn na Gaeltachta. Tá coiste comhairleach bunaithe agam ar a mbeidh ionadaí ó Roinn na Gaeltachta, Udarás na Gaeltachta, Comharchumann Iascairí Ghaillimh agus Arainn, Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe, Bórd Iascaigh Mhara, Oifig na n-Oibreacha Poiblí, An Roinn Airgeadais agus mo Roinn féin. Beidh an coiste seo ag déanamh staidéir ar riachtanaisí Chuan Ros an Mhíl mar lár-ionad chuan iascaigh agus ag déanamh moltaí dom faoi fhorbairt an chuain seo sa todhchaí.

I commend this Bill to the House.

Mr. Howard

We welcome this Bill. We have no objection to what is proposed in the Bill. As the Minister said, there are two amendments to the Fishery Harbour Centres Act of 1968. The first one raises the fine on summary conviction to £500. The major provision in the Bill is the substituting of Rossaveal Harbour for Galway Harbour. I accept that there are considerable advantages in this proposal. The Minister has indicated what some of these advantages are. I am very happy to note that there was a substantial increase in the quantity of fish landed in Rossaveal during 1979, and I assume that trend is continuing into 1980.

Coming from the west coast I can also appreciate the value of Rossaveal to the fishermen on the Aran Islands and the convenience of having that major fishery harbour at Rossaveal. Before it became a designated centre the fishermen in the Aran Islands had to contend with the problem of travelling to Galway, coming in on an idle journey and perhaps returning on an idle journey. Therefore Rossaveal is of considerable advantage to the fishermen on the islands and the fishermen on the west coast.

I accept the necessity for developing these harbours. Perhaps in the past we have not given to the development of our fishery harbours the measure of attention and the priority they deserved.

We have a valuable resource off our coasts in terms of fishing grounds and, if our native fishermen are to be in a position to exploit and reap the benefits of this potential, obviously the facility of adequate harbours must be provided for them. It is important that we assist our fishermen in every way in the development of this industry and that we recognise the potential there in jobs and in returns.

The Minister has told us the five principal harbours which have been designated under the Fishery Harbour Centres Bill. They are located from Donegal to Galway to Cork, around the south-east, and up to Howth. Nonetheless, it is right to question whether or not we should look at the location of these harbours and consider including in this designated or scheduled list others in Mayo, Kerry, and some other counties, which would save people from having to travel distances from their homes to five principal harbours.

There is one other point I should like to raise with the Minister. I understand that a sum running into millions of pounds was designated for the development of these harbours. How much of that sum—I gather it was in the region of £5 million—has been spent on the development of these harbours to date? When is it proposed that the developments that are in mind, and for which money has been provided, will be effected to ensure that the harbours are fully equipped and have all the facilities and services the fishermen who use them require?

Ruairí Brugha

Ní gá a rá go bhfuil fáilte roimh an mBille seo agus go bhfuil gá leis an méadú ar an phionós go dtí £500. An bhféadfadh an tAire a rá cé mhéid pionós a cuireadh roimhe seo?

Mr. Power

Níl mé cinnte faoi sin.

Ruairí Brugha

Is maith an dul ar aghaidh atá déanta ag Ros a'Mhíl. Ag trácht ar an tagairt a rinne an Seanadóir Howard i dtaobh na cúig ceantair atá ainmnithe, an bhféadfadh an tAire a rá cad é an seasamh atá ag Daingean Uí Cúise? An bhfuil tábhacht ag baint leis agus an bhfuil aon smaoineamh ag an Aire an ceantar sin a thabhairt isteach ins an scéim níos déanaí. Táimse lántsásta moladh a thabhairt don Bhille agus glacadh leis.

Mr. O'Brien

Cuirim fáilte roimh an mBille seo agus táim sásta go bhfuil feabhas an-mhór déanta le déanaí ar chuan Ros a'Mhíl agus gur maith an rud é sin a bheith déanta as ucht an chabhair a thugann sé do mhuintir na Gaeltachta. Mar a dúirt an tAire, is áis mhór an cuan sin i Ros a'Mhíl, ní hamháin d'iascairí Chonamara ach d'iascairí as Oileáin Arann chomh maith. Táim den bharúil gur chiallmhar an rud é don chéad uair an obair mhór sin a chur ar siúl í Ros a'Mhíl agus an cuan a fheabhsú chomh maith agus atá déanta, agus tá súil go gcuirfear a thuilleadh feabhais air san am atá romhainn.

Táim den bharúil freisin go ndearna an tAire rud an-chiallmhar ar fad nuair a chuir sé an coiste seo atá bunaithe aige ar siúl, agus táim sásta go ndearna sé an rud ceart nuair a cheap sé ionadaíthe ó Roinn na Gaeltachta, Udarás na Gaeltachta, ó chomharchumainn iascairí Ghaillimhe agus Árann agus ó Chomhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe, chomh maith le hionadaithe ó Bhord Iascaigh Mhara, ó Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí, ón Roinn Airgeadais, dár ndóigh, agus ona Roinn féin. Sílim gur obair mhaith é sin atá déanta ag an Aire, agus is léir dúinn ón bheart a rinne sé go bhfuil sé ar aigne aige comhairle a fháil ó gach dream daoine go bhfuil suim acu san obair sin i nGaeltacht Chonamara. Ar an ábhar sin, cuirim fáilte roimh an mBille agus déanaim comhgháirdeas leis an Aire mar gheall ar an dóigh ina ndeachaigh sé i mbun oibre.

Mr. Mulcahy

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an mBille freisin go mór mhór os rud é go bhfuilimid ag caint mar gheall ar áit cosúil le Ros a' Mhíl atá sa Ghaeltacht. Tá ana-áthas orm freisin go bhfuil an tAire tar éis an coiste seo a chur ar bun chun féachaint chuige go mbeidh comh-oibriú idir na daoine éagsúla a bhaineann leis an áit sin agus le cúrsaí iascaireachta. Le déanaí chuaigh mé go dtí an t-iarthar agus chonaic mé an cuan íontach seo agus an t-aonad nua atá ann, agus ba bhreá é a fheicéail. Ag fágáil an iarthair agus ag teacht go dtí an t-oirthear ba mhaith liom scéim amháin a bhí im' cheann a chur roimh an Aire go hoscailte.

I see that the harbours to be developed as fisheries harbour centres are listed by the Minister as Castletownbere, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Rossaveal. I would like publicly to draw the Minister's attention to the fact that Dublin has waterways and water areas which might be useful for the fishery vessels. I heard recently that a study was being carried out in relation to the area of Dublin near the Custom House and just beside there is an old dock which normally cannot be seen from the main road or from the street because it is surrounded by the ports and docks warehouses. I heard in discussion that this report was being prepared by Litchfield who is talking about filling in that area. It would be a crying shame to fill in something which was built at a tremendous cost many years ago. I put forward the idea, the previous Minister was interested in it, that that area might be developed as a fisherman wharf type scheme as exists in San Francisco. In that way we would bring into the inner city of Dublin the fishing operation and give it life, have the trawlers pulled into the area and surrounded by boutiques, shops, restaurants, something like the St. Margaret's scheme in London.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

Would the Senator move the adjournment of the debate?

Debate adjourned.