John Perry
Question:401 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the way in which the turnover of the Irish catching industry is broken down between fish stocks. [28620/05]
View answerTuesday, 18 October 2005
Questions (322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335)
Written answers
In 2004 the total value of landings by the Irish fleet was just over €186 million. The breakdown of this amount between the demersal, pelagic, deep-sea and shellfish segments is shown in the following table.
|
Value € of landings in 2004 |
|
|
Demersal |
47.3 million |
|
Pelagic |
56.1 million |
|
Deep Sea |
2.7 million |
|
Shellfish |
80.1 million |
John Perry
Question:402 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of direct jobs the fishing industry accounts for. [28621/05]
View answerJohn Perry
Question:403 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of indirect jobs the fishing industry accounts for onshore. [28622/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 402 and 403 together.
The fishing industry accounts for approximately 11,000 direct jobs and an additional 14,000 jobs indirectly, through industries and services dependent on the fishing sector.
John Perry
Question:404 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if the turnover of the Irish fishing industry will be expanded over the coming ten to 15 years; the amount by which the industry will be expanded; the range of employment growth which is possible in the industry; if the industry does not perform as well as hoped, the percentage by which the industry will be contracted; and if the industry contracts the job losses which may occur. [28623/05]
View answerThe Government is supporting the development of the seafood industry through a number of programmes under the aegis of the national development plan. This development support is supplemented by measures such as the recent Government decision to introduce a fleet decommissioning scheme over the next two years at a cost of €45 million to enhance the overall economic viability of the whitefish and shellfish sectors.
The scope for further development of the industry over the next ten to 15 years will be determined in the context of the next national plan for the period 2007 to 2013. In this regard, extensive discussions have already been held at EU level regarding a new European fisheries fund to apply over the period 2007 to 2013.
Once the terms of the new European Fisheries Fund have been agreed at EU level, the Department and BIM, in consultation with the industry stakeholders, will commence the process of preparing a national strategic plan and operational programmes for the various sectors of the seafood industry which will clearly set out the potential for future development of the industry in terms of output, income and employment over the next ten years.
The future turnover and growth potential of the fishing industry in Ireland and elsewhere will critically depend on having healthy fish stocks and ensuring that they are harvested on a sustainable basis. In light of the increased emphasis on stock conservation in recent years under the successfully reformed Common Fisheries Policy in 2002, I am satisfied the industry can have a bright future and that will be the driving aim in the formulation of future development plans for the industry.
John Perry
Question:405 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the percentage of imported fish which is eaten here. [28624/05]
View answerJohn Perry
Question:406 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the percentage of fish caught here which is exported. [28625/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 405 and 406 together.
In 2004, the percentage of fish imports, excluding fishmeal and oil, consumed by the home market amounted to 92% in terms of volume and 98% in terms of value. The remainder consists of fish imported for processing and export. The percentage of the Irish fish catch that is sold on export markets is estimated at approximately 80%.
John Perry
Question:407 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the percentage of public money that has been spent to date in 2005 on removing excess catching capacity from the fishing industry. [28626/05]
View answerJohn Perry
Question:408 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on whether reduction in capacity in the fishing industry is needed to ensure long-term sustainability; and if he will implement any such measures. [28627/05]
View answerJohn Perry
Question:412 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will implement changes within the Government’s management of the Irish fishing fleet; and the amount of public money that will be spent on such changes. [28631/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 407, 408 and 412 together.
A scheme to decommission fishing vessels was launched on 4 October. This scheme has been introduced to remove excess capacity in our whitefish and shellfish fleets, in the face of decreasing fishing opportunities brought about by cuts in fish quotas. As there can be no expectation of increased catches in the short term, this scheme is designed to target those fishermen who find themselves in a position where they are no longer getting an economic return and to deliver a sustainable future for those that remain in the industry. The aim of the scheme is to remove up to 25% from the whitefish fleet and reduce the scallop fleet to 4,800 kW. This is necessary to achieve balance between the available fishing opportunities and the economic requirements of these sections of the fleet.
Some €45 million has been allocated for this scheme to decommission fishing boats. Of this total, €8.8 million is already provided for under the national development plan which runs to 2006, of which 75%, €6.6 million, is funded from the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance, FIFG, with the remaining 25%, €2.2 million, being met through matching Exchequer funding. The future mechanism for EU funding after 2006 has yet to be finalised at EU level. Given that the decommissioning scheme has only just been launched, no spend has taken place so far in 2005.
John Perry
Question:409 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the amount in terms of weight and monetary value, which the fishing fleet here has landed in catches over the past 15 years on a yearly basis. [28628/05]
View answerI am arranging for the compilation of statistics on the landings of the Irish fishing fleet over the past 15 years in terms of weight and value. I will forward these directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
John Perry
Question:410 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the value of the fishing industry to the economy here. [28629/05]
View answerIreland's fishing industry is an important and valuable source of economic activity to the country and in particular to the coastal communities in which it is based. In 2004 it is estimated that the final value of seafood sales amounted to €686 million with €305 million of this being seafood sales nationally and €381 million being exports.
John Perry
Question:411 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the amount of public money that is spent on managing the fishing industry annually; the figures with and without the included cost of decommissioning; the amount of public money he will spend on managing the industry over the coming years; and if the figures are dependent on certain growth rates. [28630/05]
View answerJohn Perry
Question:413 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if fishery-dependent areas receive Government and EU grants; and the type of grants these areas receive. [28632/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 411 and 413 together.
In the period 2000 to date public funding has been provided to the fishing industry under the following EU Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance, FIFG, co-financed programmes: fisheries supporting measure, innovation and sustainability, of the productive sector operational programme of the National Development Plan 2000-2006; fishing fleet development measure of the productive sector operational programme of the National Development Plan 2000-2006; and aquaculture development measures of the regional operational programmes of the National Development Plan 2000-2006.
A scheme to decommission fishing vessels was launched on 4 October 2005. Some €45 million has been earmarked in the period 2005 to 2008 for this EU co-financed scheme.
The following table sets out the funding for the period January 2000 to date under the NDP in respect of these EU FIFG co-financed programmes.
|
Fleet Renewal & Modernisation |
Supporting Measures for Fisheries |
|||||||
|
Year |
FIFG |
Exchequer |
Private |
Expenditure |
FIFG |
Exchequer |
Private |
Expenditure |
|
2000/2001 |
2,004,354 |
668,117 |
2,672,471 |
|||||
|
2002 |
697,848 |
320,910 |
4,061,266 |
5,080,024 |
1,178,373 |
364,148 |
422,237 |
1,964,758 |
|
2003 |
2,690,963 |
418,244 |
5,161,808 |
8,271,015 |
1,807,024 |
591,700 |
226,718 |
2,625,442 |
|
2004 |
7,026,924 |
1,005,750 |
12,082,334 |
20,115,008 |
1,624,776 |
536,311 |
120,192 |
2,281,279 |
|
2005 to date |
1,228,933 |
175,566 |
2,106,653 |
3,511,152 |
827,232 |
246,198 |
242,345 |
485,761 |
|
Total |
11,644,668 |
1,920,470 |
23,412,062 |
36,977,200 |
7,441,759 |
2,406,474 |
1,011,491 |
10,029,711 |
|
Aquaculture BMW Region |
Aquaculture S&E Region |
|||||||
|
Year |
FIFG |
Exchequer |
Private |
Expenditure |
FIFG |
Exchequer |
Private |
Expenditure |
|
2000/2001 |
849,618 |
147,939 |
1,217,406 |
2,214,963 |
110,635 |
110,635 |
221,269 |
|
|
2002 |
2,048,855 |
346,353 |
3,106,672 |
5,501,880 |
1,282,307 |
310,110 |
1,944,394 |
3,536,811 |
|
2003 |
2,385,093 |
377,908 |
3,754,096 |
6,517,098 |
577,131 |
195,412 |
763,438 |
1,535,982 |
|
2004 |
1,663,655 |
296,216 |
2,600,957 |
4,560,828 |
2,154,490 |
428,356 |
3,452,264 |
6,035,110 |
|
2005 to date |
514,829 |
77,650 |
960,518 |
1,552,997 |
382,870 |
54,696 |
656,349 |
1,093,915 |
|
Total |
7,462,051 |
1,246,066 |
11,639,649 |
20,347,765 |
4,507,433 |
1,099,209 |
6,816,445 |
12,423,087 |
Public funding has been provided to the fishing industry under the EU European Regional Development Fund co-financed fishery harbour infrastructure measures of the NDP regional operational programmes. Some €102 million in public funding has been invested in fishery harbour infrastructure in the period 2000 to 2004 while further investment of over €20 million is planned for this year. The following table below shows public investment in each of the years 2000-2004.
|
Year |
Public Investment (€000s) |
|
2000 |
13.358 |
|
2001 |
14.38 |
|
2002 |
29.916 |
|
2003 |
29.794 |
|
2004 |
14.73 |
|
Total |
102.178 |
In addition to investment under specific NDP programmes, Exchequer grant aid is also provided to a number of State agencies with responsibilities in the fisheries sector generally and in respect of specific schemes. The following table shows the grant aid assistance earmarked for these agencies and schemes in 2005.
|
Agency |
2005 Current Funding (€000s) |
2005 Capital Funding (€000s) |
Total 2005 Funding (€000s) |
|
Marine Institute |
18,485 |
4,838 |
23,323 |
|
Bord Iascaigh Mhara* |
17,252 |
10,909 |
28,161 |
|
Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board |
274 |
274 |
|
|
Central and Regional Fisheries Boards/Inland Fisheries |
23,731 |
3,290 |
27,021 |
|
DCMNR Seafood Inspectorate, Coastal Zone and other activities in support of industry** |
7,148 |
1,150 |
8,298 |
|
Seafood Processing |
1,664 |
1,664 |
|
|
Total |
66,890 |
21,851 |
88,741 |
*Includes funding for NDP fleet development and fisheries supporting measures
**Non-pay costs for coastal zone and other supporting staff and current expenditure under the fishery harbour centres fund are not included. In addition, Naval Service and Air Corps costs associated with fisheries protection are not included.
The Marine Institute, which is responsible for advising the Minister on policy relating to marine research and development generally, receives an annual grant-in-aid from the Department, which in 2005 will total €23.323 million. Bord Iascaigh Mhara has a budget of €28.16 million for 2005. The central and regional fisheries boards, which are responsible for the conservation, protection, management and development of the inland fisheries resource in Ireland, receive annual grant funding from the Department towards their operational costs. The total allocation to the inland fisheries sector in 2005, including the fisheries boards and the loughs agency, will amount to €23.741 million.
The Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board, ALAB, established in 1998 under the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997, provides an independent authority for the determination of appeals against decisions of the Minister on aquaculture licence applications. The 2005 budget for the board is €274,000.
With regard to the monitoring and regulation of managed sea fisheries the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has an inspectorate composed of sea fishery officers. These officers attend to the dual responsibilities of the control and regulation of managed fisheries and regulation of food safety related to fish, fishery products and shellfish. The total expenditure incurred in discharging these responsibilities, including the salaries paid to the inspectors and the administrative support personnel involved in this work and any ancillary expenses for equipment and activities, is estimated as being €4.3 million for 2005.
The projected budgetary requirement for 2006 for these inspection and control activities is estimated at being approximately €6 million. This reflects the emerging trend in European Community legislation that requires member states to provide a system of control for fisheries conservation that meets specific standards laid down in Community law. This, in turn, has placed additional demands on the existing complement of sea fishery officers and consequently the Department has had to seek additional inspection personnel to ensure Ireland can meet its legal obligations as a European Union member state. Following recent Government sanction the Department has now advertised to fill these additional sea fishery officer posts.
The projected salary outturn for the Department's seafood control, seafood administration, seafood policy and development, coastal zone administration, and inland fisheries divisions in 2005 is €6.4 million, including the salaries of inspectorate staff.
Question No. 412 answered with QuestionNo. 407.
Question No. 413 answered with QuestionNo. 411.
John Perry
Question:414 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the average percentage of fishery related employment of total employment in fishery dependent areas. [28633/05]
View answerEmployment statistics for fisheries are not normally compiled on this basis. However, an analysis of the 1996 census data carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute on behalf of the national strategy review group on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy covering the ports of Greencastle, Killybegs, Rossaveal, Castletownbere and Dunmore East, found that the percentage of employment in these ports in fishing and related industries ranged between 43% and 69%. This underlines the key importance of the fishing sector in socio-economic terms to coastal areas, which is a cornerstone of the Government's approach both nationally and in EU negotiations.