Deputy Connolly will get all his answers in a fortnight's time from my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, in relation to that proposal. In relation to the debate on the plan, this plan is of vital importance for the economy and for the whole future development of this country. It is, I think, rightly being described as the single most important and comprehensive blueprint for recovery and development that has ever been compiled by any Government since the foundation of the State. Consequently, it is a document that deserves to be studied seriously by all sectors of our society in order to ensure that practical effect is given to the many recommendations in the plan. I stress the word "practical" because this whole plan is based, not on a pipe-dream but on realism and the achievement of targets that are well within our grasp. In the time available I will confine my remarks to those sectors of the economy which fall within my area of responsibility namely the Department of Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of the Gaeltacht.
As regards fisheries, the opportunities that exist in the industry and the difficulties being experienced by it at present are fully recognised by the Government. The time, we believe, is now ripe for a rethink of our policy in the fishery sector taking account of the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Community and the present state of development of the industry in Ireland. The sectoral development committee have been examining the industry and have recently presented their report. As indicated in the national plan, the future development of the industry is being examined in the context of that report and a policy White Paper will be issued at a later date. My Department will be working in close collaboration with An Bord Iascaigh Mhara in the preparation of that policy paper and, of course, full regard will also be had to the exhaustive study and recommendations of the sectoral development committee on the fisheries and aquaculture industries.
Despite the problems which have beset the fishing industry in recent years, progress continues to be made particularly in the export field. The total value of exports reached £84 million in 1983, an increase of 15 per cent over the previous year. The value of fish exports for the first six months of 1984 at £35 million represents a further increase of 15 per cent compared with the corresponding period for last year. This rise in exports has been achieved despite difficulties outside our control in places like Nigeria, the main market for Irish mackerel and which represents over half of our total catch. I am glad to say that the Nigerian market has now re-opened and exports from Ireland to there have been resumed. BIM have been active, too, in expanding exports to East European and African markets as well as Western Europe. I myself visited Japan earlier in the year with officials from the board in order to carry out an examination of the market potential there. As a result of the visit, which was very encouraging, representatives of a number of Japanese firms have visited this country for discussions with Irish exporters. I am confident that Irish fish exporters can secure a satisfactory share of the improved markets likely to be available in Japan.
The Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, visited Poland very recently accompanied by BIM executives. As a result of his visit a Polish delegation is visiting Ireland this week for detailed discussions with BIM and potential exporters, with a view to entering into contracts for the purchase of Irish herring and mackerel. A group of Irish exporters led by BIM were also very successful recently in negotiating a contract for a supply of a sizeable quantity of frozen mackerel to Egypt, worth in the region of £8 million.
The future development of the industry will largely depend on intensive market research and promotion. BIM have already expanded their activities in this area and the fisheries allocation for the period 1985 to 1987 as outlined in the national plan includes an increased provision for BIM for market development with a view to enhancing fishermen's returns from their catches.
Investment levels in our fishing industry in 1983 were noteworthy. Eleven fish processing projects were approved for ECFEOGA aid amounting to £2.6 million. The total capital investment in these 11 projects come to £5.8 million including grants made available by the IDA and Udarás na Gaeltachta. Over 70 firms are engaged in fish processing and they employ 1,700 persons. Future development in fish processing will be in secondary processing which will give added value to the product to the benefit of the industry itself and the economy generally.
With regard to the fishing fleet, the continuing high level of arrears — which stood at £6.6 million at the end of 1983 — in boat repayments is a matter for serious concern. The situation is serious, but it is noteworthy that there are many boat owners who are up-to-date with their repayments, indeed, some in the same ports as defaulters. Every effort is being made by BIM to reduce the level of arrears. I am examining ways and means of how my Department could help and what assistance I can provide. I hope to make an announcement in the very near future.
I am also very conscious of the worries and fears of our fishermen, fish processors and exporters at present about the forthcoming entry of Spain into the EC. I met representatives of these various groups recently and again yesterday to hear their views and I will be meeting them again as negotiations progress. The Government share their concern, as indeed do our EC partners, about Spain's entry. I have told them — and I repeat it — that no effort will be spared during the negotiations to ensure the best deal possible for our fishermen. An allegation from the far side of the House that our fishermen have been sold down the river is completely false, as negotiations are still at a very early stage. It must be borne in mind also that there can be a positive side to Spain's accession. Spain is not self-sufficient in fish. In 1983 it imported 257,000 tonnes of fish. This is in excesss of our total fish catch. The opening of the Spanish market could be a valuable opportunity for us and we should be gearing ourselves to get the maximum advantage from it.
There is, I believe, considerable scope for the development of acquaculture and mariculture in this country and I am examining ways and means by which that development can be accelerated. We enjoy many advantages here for mariculture development. These include a long coastline and relatively unspoiled waters, but careful planning and research is essential to ensure success.
My Department have been holding public inquiries around the coast prior to considering designation of areas for aquaculture development in accordance with the Fisheries Act, 1980. When the designation process is completed, individuals will then be licensed to operate in specified areas. There appears to be some misunderstanding, I believe, particularly among some local authorities, about the possible effects of designation of areas for mariculture purposes on other activities in these areas.
I would be less than honest if I did not express my disappointment at the reaction of some local authorities to the projected development in the mariculture and aquaculture areas. It is regrettable that some of them have taken the stance they have taken. I would like to assure them that their fears are unfounded and to stress that aquaculture development and other activities such as the establishment of industry and recreation can co-exist in the same general area. Indeed aquaculture development can provide raw material for industry in areas where potential for industrial development is limited. In assessing any area for designation I will, of course, have full regard to all representations made by the various interests concerned in the course of the public inquiries before making the relevant orders.
BIM operate a useful mariculture grants scheme for both pilot and commercial fish farming projects and this scheme, coupled with the FEOGA grants available for such projects, will continue to play a crucial role in the development of this sector of the industry. The proposed White Paper will, of course, also deal with this important sector of fisheries.
Turning now to afforestation, the State forestry programme will be maintained and, as far as possible intensified, during the period of the plan. Deputies will have noted, in particular, that additional funds are being provided for land acquisition in each year of the three year period. It goes without saying that land is the life blood of the afforestation programme.
I have on more than one occasion referred here to the inadequacy and uneven distribution of the existing land reserve for forestry and I have assured the House that I would continue my efforts to press for a greater allocation of funds for land purchase. I am glad to be able to say — particularly at a time of great competition for available resources — that my efforts in this respect have been successful.
Moreover, I regard the substantially increased allocation as ample evidence of the Government's continuing commitment to the State afforestation programme and I have no doubt that the land intake which will flow from the higher level of funding will make a valuable contribution towards redressing the existing unsatisfactory situation.
The Government will, of course, also continue to support private forestry, in the form of grant aid and technical advice, to the utmost extent practicable. Indeed, my Department have been giving considerable publicity to this sector in recent times and, if I may single out one particular aspect, it would be the very attractive and informative booklet entitled Investing in Forestry which was produced earlier this year in connection with a private forestry workshop and which I had circulated to all Deputies.
I would, however, be less than honest if I were to pretend to be satisfied with the level of funding provided for private afforestation but, inevitably, during a period of acute financial stringency it is simply not possible to provide the level of financial support which this activity undoubtedly merits. The Government are also looking into a number of possible joint forestry ventures involving the State and private landowners but on this front also progress will depend, among other considerations, on the availability of funds.
The procedures for the disposal of timber from the State forests have evoked much comment during the past year or so, particularly in relation to the sale of sawlog, the production of which for use by the construction sector is, of course, the primary objective of State forestry. Sawlog has traditionally been sold by the Forest and Wildlife Service under the sealed tender system. The system has been modified in recent years by way of a quota arrangement whereby certain sawmills are assured of a proportion of their sawlog supplies without having to tender for it.
While by and large the system has worked well, the Government are anxious to bring a greater degree of flexibility to bear on the marketing of State-owned timber with a view to easing existing constraints and enabling the Forest and Wildlife Service to operate with more freedom in this sphere.
In this connection I may say that I have very recently received the report of an interdepartmental committee which was established to examine certain aspects of the tender and quota systems for the sale of sawlog. I will shortly be presenting this comprehensive report to the Government for consideration and I have no doubt that its contents will be of considerable interest to them. It would be ungracious of me if I failed to pay tribute to the committee for their dedication and hard work and I gladly avail myself of this opportunity to thank them sincerely for their time and effort. In so far as pulpwood is concerned we now have two major outlets, the Medite Plant at Clonmel producing medium density fibre-board and the revitalised chipboard factory under Spanish ownership at Scarriff, County Clare. Between them, these two enterprises have the potential to use a very considerable volume of current pulpwood availability from State forests, as well as a substantial quantity of wood and residues from the private sector.
I suppose it is only to be expected that newly-established firms like these would encounter many teething troubles in the initial stages of their operations and that this would temporarily inhibit their in take of raw material. However, I am confident that any such problems will be sorted out so that the precise requirements of these firms can be firmly established. This is vital from my Department's viewpoint, not only in the interests of thinning the forests but also to permit alternative arrangements for disposal of any surplus pulpwood that may arise, either on a temporary or longer term basis.
In recent times there have been suggestions from many quarters — including some from within this House — to the effect that forestry, or at any rate certain aspects of it, should be handed over to a semi-State body. I doubt very much if all the people who advocate such a course have fully assessed the implications of that proposition. For my own part, while I am prepared to keep an open mind in the matter, I am quite satisfied that it would be most unwise to rush into a hasty decision and the Government share that approach.
It may be no harm to remind the House that for many decades the former Forest Service — and more recently the Forest and Wildlife Service — of my Department, operating within the Civil Service structure and frequently confronted with various constraints and handicaps, has brought Irish forestry a very long way. Indeed, I am proud to say and we should all be proud to say that forestry has now reached the stage where it can truly claim to be one of our most impressive national achievements since the foundation of this State.
Having said that, however, I think it is generally accepted that Irish forestry could be said to have now reached a crossroads. The considerable investment of several decades in terms of money and manpower has resulted in the creation of a major national resource which will rapidly expand in the years ahead. In the circumstances it behoves us to take an objective look at the situation to see if any changes in the structures which have served us so well in the past are desirable or necessary.
It is against that background that the national plan provides for the establishment of a review group to examine the existing organisation and structures of the Forest and Wildlife Service to see what changes, if any, are needed in order to exploit the enormous potential of forestry to the best national advantage. I shall shortly be appointing this group and directing them to report quickly so that the Government can decide on the most appropriate organisation and structures for the development of Irish forestry in the years ahead.
Ba mhaith liom cúpla focal a rá maidir leis an plean chun leasa don Ghaeltacht. Is é an chéad chuspóir atá leis an bplean ná fostaíocht bhreise a chur ar fáil agus tá beartais áirithe le cur i bhfeidhm ag an Rialtas chun an cuspóir sin a bhaint amach: ar ndóigh, ní beag an tionchar a bheidh acu ar fhostaíocht sa Ghaeltacht chomh maith le fostaíocht sa chuid eile den tír. Bhí 4,261 dhuine fostaithe i ndeireadh 1983 sna tionscail a fuair cúnamh ó Ghaeltarra Éireann agus ó Údarás na Gaeltachta i gcomparáid le 4,144 dhuine i ndeireadh 1982 — glanmhéadú 117 bpost tar éis poist a cailleadh i rith na bliana a fhágáil as an áireamh. Táimse ag súil le borradh breise sa Ghaeltacht ó thaobh fostaíochta de sna blianta atá romhainn.
Is gné an-tábhachtach den phlean go mbeimid don chéad uair sa riocht ina mbeidh ar chumas gach duine — lucht tionscail, lucht gnó, feirmeoirí — pleanáil ar aghaidh go ceann trí bliana agus a fhios acu conas a sheasann siad maidir le beartais an Rialtais, clár caipitil poiblí agus cúrsaí cánach. Táim cinnte go mbeidh an dea-thoradh dá bharr sin le haithint ar ghníomhaíochtaí tionsclaíochta sa Ghaeltacht.
Leanfar ar aghaidh leis an gcúnamh atá ar fáil ó mo Roinnse faoi Achtanna na dTithe (Gaeltacht) chun tithe cónaithe a thógáil agus a fheabhsú, chun seomraí breise a chur leo do chuairteoirí agus chun córas uisce agus séarachais a chur ar fáil aon áit nach bhfuil a leithéid ann cheana. Tá an-obair déanta faoi na hAchtanna sin leis na blianta agus tá a rian le feiceáil go forleathan ar fud na Gaeltachta áit a bhfuil an caighdeán tithíochta chomh hard ar a laghad agus atá sé i gcearn ar bith eile den tír.
Cabhraíonn na scéimeanna feabhsúcháin, atá á reachtáil ag mo Roinnse freisin sa Ghaeltacht, le feabhas a chur ar bhunstruchtúr na Gaeltachta tríd an gcúnamh a thugtar le scéimeanna uisce agus séarachais a chur i gcrích, saoráidí calaíochta a fheabhsú, hallaí pobail a thógáil, a mhéadú agus a fheabhsú agus áiseanna caitheamh aimsire ar nós páirceanna imeartha, pinniúir liathróid láimhe, cúirteanna leadóige agus cispheile a sholáthar.
Tá áthas orm go bhféadfar an soláthar airgid do na scéimeanna sin a mhéadú de réir a chéile idir seo agus an bhliain 1987. Chomh maith le leas sóisialach na Gaeltachta a fheabhsú cuirfidh na hoibreacha sin uile a bheag nó a mhór leis an bhfostaíocht sa Ghaeltacht. Leanfar freisin de chabhair a thabhairt do chomharchumainn Ghaeltachta agus do scéimeanna eile mo Roinne ar mhaithe le leas cultúrtha, sóisialach agus eacnamaíoch na Gaeltachta — go háirithe an scéim faoina n-íoctar deontais le mná tí a chuireann cóiríocht ar fáil d'fhoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge.
Aithníonn an plean an tábhacht a bhaineann le cúrsaí talmhaíochta i saol na tíre. Tá cuid mhaith feirmeoirí sa Ghaeltacht agus, cé nach bhfuil an talamh féin thar moladh beirte in áiteanna, tá ag éirí leo le cúnamh ón Stát agus ón gComhphobal Eorpach ioncam réasúnta a thuilleamh. Tá sé leagtha amach sa phlean go méadófar an deontas a íoctar i leith beithíoch mairteola, nó na "headage payments" mar a ghlaotar orthu, ó £32 go £70 sa bhliaín 1986 agus beidh a bhuntáiste leis an scéal seo. Cuirfear tús arís leis an gClár Draenála don Iarthar sa bhliain 1986 agus ba chóir go gcabhródh sé sin go mór le feirmeoirí na Gaeltachta. Bhain comharchumainn Ghaeltachta agus conraitheoirí príobháideacha talmhaíochta an-tairbhe as an scéim sin le blianta beaga anuas gan trácht ar na feirmeoirí fhéin a fuair cúnamh fial chun a gcuid talún a dhraenáil.
Faoi mar is eol dúinn go léir, tá feabhas le cur ar phríomhbhóithre na Gaeltachta: déanfaidh mise mo dhícheall lena chinntiú gur ar na bóithre sin a chaithfear sciar réasúnta den airgead breise a bheidh ar fáil.
De réir mar a bheidh cúrsaí ag dul i bhfeabhas ar fud na tíre i gcoitinne tá dóchas agamsa go mbeidh ar ár gcumas dul chun cinn níos mó fós a dhéanamh sna ceantair Ghaeltachta.
Mar fhocal scoir, ba mhaith liom a rá go gcuireann an Freasúra díomá orm in amanna maidir leis an gearán agus an clamhsán a dhéanann siad gan aon rud substaintiúil á rá acu. I leith an scéil seo, tá an plean ansin. Tá an Rialtas seo ag súil len é a chur i bhfeidhm. Sin é an job atá acu agus déanfaidh siad a ndícheall toradh fónta a fháil as.