Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 December 2013
300. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the new inland fisheries Bill is due before Dáil Éireann and the level of consultation with angling organisations. [52818/13]
View answer303. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position regarding the proposal to introduce a compulsory angler registration charge; if he has considered the damage this would do to angling tourism and the development of angling generally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53098/13]
View answer309. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will address the ongoing concerns of many trout anglers, who are extremely concerned after being informed by the CEO of Inland Fisheries Ireland that a compulsory angler registration charge is to be levied on every angler in Ireland as part of the new inland fisheries legislation (details supplied); when this charge will come into effect; the amount the charge will be; the way this charge will be monitored; and the amount of the revenue raised from this charge that will be put back into the development of the fishing industry. [52782/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 300, 303 and 309 together.
I refer to the reply to Question No 219 (51905/13) on 3 December last which addresses comprehensively the issues raised by the Deputies.
The legislative code governing inland fisheries is dated and scattered across a range of instruments, with a clear need for modernisation. This is an important task and I have organised a number of public meetings to which the public and fisheries interests were invited and I arranged a briefing on these issues for members of the Oireachtas on the evening of Wednesday 27 November to update on the progress of the review and outline the issues under consideration. One of the issues that we have sought to address as part of consultation is how funding could be mobilised for the development of the sector. There are a range of views on this issue which requires broad support across the angling sector. Some I want to make it absolutely clear that no rod licence was proposed, nor is it intended to introduce such a licence.
I have undertaken to have further stakeholder engagement and will not finalise legislative proposals before this is concluded.
