The House will now hear one minute statements on matters appropriate to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for the Marine. I propose to call Deputies in the following order: Deputy Alan Shatter, Deputy Michael P. Kitt, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, Deputy Pat McCartan, Deputy Jim Higgins, Deputy Madeleine Taylor-Quinn and Deputy McCartan a second time. I look for Deputies' co-operation in this situation where they have one minute.
Adjournment Debate. - Finance and Marine Matters.
I want to raise the issue, as I raised the question yesterday, of a young married couple whose tax affairs are in a state of chaos, who cannot have them sorted out, who are entitled to an income tax rebate for the tax year ended 5 April 1990 and who, I am told, cannot have their affairs sorted out due to an embargo in the office of the Inspector of Taxes. In reply to a further Dáil Question today I discovered that there are 5,300 taxpayers whose tax affairs are embargoed in the office of the Inspector of Taxes.
I rise because the reply I got yesterday was unsatisfactory. I want to ask the Minister, first, when this couple's affairs will be sorted out; second, when they will get their rebate; and, third, when they will get the interest accruing on the rebate to which they are entitled. May I suggest to the Minister that if the tax affairs of 3,500 taxpayers are in chaos the very least the Revenue Commissioners should do is write to them individually and explain the reasons for the problems. It should not be left to us to resolve the issue by way of a Dáil Question.
I wish to propose the decentralisation of Government offices to Tuam. I hope that when the Government are next deciding on the centres to which offices will be decentralised that they decide to locate a Department or a section of it in Tuam.
There has been a serious unemployment problem in Tuam for some time — 1,500 people are unemployed in the greater Tuam area. Five hundred permanent and temporary jobs were lost in the area when the sugar factory closed down in 1986. Later on, the Coca Cola plant and the textile factory closed down while the Goodman project which was to be set up in Tuam was not set up there. Many of the people who are unemployed in the area have very good skills which they acquired when they worked in the sugar factory. I ask the Government to look at the suitability of Tuam as a centre for decentralisation. There are five second level schools in Tuam and those young people will be looking for jobs when they leave school. I hope the Government will come down in favour of Tuam as an area for decentralisation. It is a very attractive town in which to live and it is situated near a university and third level colleges.
The matter I wish to raise relates to the cost of implementing the proposed privatisation of Irish Life. At the time the ill advised Bill was put through the House I offered the opinion that the financial institutions would be the main beneficiaries and would make a financial killing. I want to ask the Minister if he will comment on a recent report in a Sunday newspaper that the cost of underwriting and professional fees will total £6 million. Specifically, in relation to the reference I made during the debate, on the presumption that the Government's favourite financial consultants, NCB, would be recruited, and I now see that on the basis of old friends are best they do indeed have such a role in advising the Government, may I ask him how much NCB will get out of this little nixer for the Government?
My request is to the Minister of State at the Department of Finance who has responsibility for public works, including wildlife. I ask him to consider the simple proposition of transferring to the Garda Síochána the processing of applications for foreshore and inland water shooting permits because of the undue delay in the processing of those permits within the Department. There seems to be no reason the Garda who issue certificates for the guns used by the people who apply for these permits would not be the agency who process the applications for the permits. They would have time and the people who would be involved would, perhaps, know more about this issue than those in the Department. It would certainly get over the difficulties in that section of the Department of Finance which has a shortage of staff. I ask the Minister to consider this very simple proposition.
The river Moy in County Mayo is one of the finest fishing rivers in Europe. Large tracts of this river have been under private and foreign ownership for several hundred years. One of the last acts of the Fine Gael-Labour Coalition in 1987 was to purchase the very lucrative stretch of the Moy River in Ballina. That was over three years ago but there is still no development plan. This part of the river has lain idle and is under-developed and under-resourced.
The North Western Regional Fisheries Board have made several submissions to the Minister and his predecessor on this matter. I have asked several questions in the House about it and have received numerous assurances that a plan is imminent. This asset which has enormous potential could be a central and major part of the development of a region devastated by unemployment and emigration. It is a scandal that nothing has been done to develop it and I urge the Minister to bring forward a plan at the earliest possible date.
I wish to raise with the Minister for the Marine the issue of the air-sea rescue service. As the Minister is aware we are now into the stormy weather of the winter when the lives of fishermen and people who travel by sea are put at risk. There were many accidents at sea last year and we were guaranteed that an air-sea rescue service would be put in place. I ask the Minister to let the House know what improved facilities have been made in this regard.
My second request is directed to the Minister for the Marine. When does the Minister propose to meet with the Howth Fishermen's Association to discuss with them the six point agenda they submitted to him, together with a request for a meeting, earlier this year? I wrote to the Minister on 24 July reminding him of this request and asked him to consider it. I received an acknowledgment from him on 24 September 1990. However, because I have not received an affirmative answer from the Minister to date I now want to ask him when he will meet with the Howth Fishermen's Association. Howth is the second richest port in the country and the Howth Fishermen's Association is a legally constituted representative association who have very legitimate points to raise and discuss with the Minister. The Minister's predecessor visited the area and I should now like to extend an invitation to the Minister to come to Howth and meet with the fishermen there to discuss their future prospects.
I will take those questions appropriate to the Minister for Finance first. The Minister has five minutes.
I will also deal with the questions to the Minister of State at the Department of Finance.
I am sorry to interrupt the Minister, but under the new regulations the Ministers have five minutes between them, two-and-a-half minutes each.
I am sorry to disappoint Deputy Shatter.
We did well with only one minute each.
In addition to the information the Deputy got today at Question Time, I want to say that the Revenue Commissioners are making every effort in the recruitment of clerical assistants, of whom there was a shortage in the office. They have gone ahead with this recruitment and have been authorised to place these clerical assistants as soon as possible in order to ease the situation in that office. Priority will be given by them to clearing up the work which is in arrears and I have been assured by the Revenue Commissioners that this will remove the backlog which arose as a result of an industrial relations problem——
What is the time scale involved?
——and because people were on sick leave for a long period. As both Deputy McCartan and Deputy Rabbitte know, the trade union concerned would not let the positions be filled——
As the Minister knows there is a very good answer to that.
I know what the Deputy's answer would be. The Deputy should tell those members not to be holding up these people's cheques so that he can stop putting down questions to me.
Will they be getting interest on their cheques?
I will inquire about that. In any event they have a legitimate claim.
This is becoming comedy time, not request time.
These people are experiencing terrible problems and we are trying to find out how much they should be paid.
Does the Minister have any news today?
I will give the Deputy all the news in the world. I was not short with him today, and I will not be short with him——
This will not be out of the Minister's time, but we must operate under the restrictions on us and if the Minister is going to entertain interruptions he will have less time to reply to the other questions.
I have been here all day——
The Minister is merely providing entertainment.
There are no interruptions, the Minister is entertaining——
Minister Noonan has to reply and he will not have time to do so if we continue the way we are going. The Ministers have only five minutes between them and any extra time Minister Reynolds takes is from Minister Noonan.
The fees to be paid to the financial advisers in relation to Irish Life will not exceed £1.5 million. A further £250,000 is being set aside to cover other professional advisers, including the appointed legal advisers. A stockbroking fee will be fixed nearer to the time of flotation but it will not exceed the standard fees for this service. The advisers were appointed following a competitive tendering process involving 51 tendering firms. Eighteen full proposals were received and the contract went to the lowest tender. I am sorry to disappoint the Deputy but that is the position.
(Interruptions.)
I will give the Deputy the names of the three advisers — NCB-Goldman Sachs, financial and stockbroking, A. and L. Goodbody, Irish legal advisers and R. Watson and Sons, actuarial advice.
Deputy Kitt raised the question of the decentralisation of Government offices to Tuam. I suppose Deputy Treacy has an interest in this matter also. I will not go through my long reply because I would take up some of my colleague's time. The first and second programmes of decentralisation are going ahead. These have proven to be very beneficial to the locations that were chosen. The reason certain locations were chosen was the availability of sites in the first instance and advance planning. We all recall that the Government who succeeded us set us back years in relation to decentralisation. We are going ahead with this programme and many centres have been opened. The remainder are either being built or at the planning stage. Tuam, along with 40 other locations, was considered but was not chosen. However it will be considered when the next phase comes up for discussion. I am also considering the possibility of decentralising the Ordnance Survey Office and setting up small regional centres around the country and Tuam will be considered in this regard and in regard to other opportunities for decentralisation that may arise.
In reply to Deputy McCartan who raised the issue of wildlife services, approximately 320 applications have been received this year while 287 permissions have been granted under section 30 of the Wildlife Act, 1976. Thirty applications are still with local management for examination, which covers the suitability of the applicant and whether the lake is a State lake, wild fowl sanctury or nature reserve. On average it takes three to four weeks to process each application. Even though one application has been refused this year, I am satisfied that the existing arrangements are working satisfactorily and I have no plans to consider alternative arrangements.
Limerick West): In relation to the matter raised by Deputy J. Higgins, two separate questions arise; first, the management of the salmon fishery on the Moy which is owned by my Department and, second, the general development of the River Moy system which is a matter for the local regional board. My Department purchased the commercial and rod salmon fishery in the lower reaches of the River Moy in the environs of Ballina three years ago. Known as the Moy Fishery, it was formerly operated by the Moy Fishery Company, a private concern, and was in a considerably dilapidated condition when it came into State ownership.
My Department have been responsible since 1987 for the day-to-day management of the fishery and there has been a vast improvement in all aspects of the fishery. We have, in addition, been examining in detail how the long term development of the fishery could best be managed. In this regard we have been looking at detailed development requirements and alternative management arrangements. As regards the latter I have received the views of the local regional fisheries board and have also raised the matter with the Central Fisheries Board. I am glad to say that we will soon be in a position to make a fully considered decision in this matter with a view to optimising the long term benefits to the region of this valuable fishery.
As regards the second issue of the general development of the Moy system, this is principally a matter for the local regional fisheries board acting in co-operation with the various owners involved.
In relation to the matter raised by Deputy Taylor-Quinn, as the Deputy is aware, the committee set up to examine the air-sea search and rescue service made six main recommendations in their report. My Department invited tenders for the supply of a search and rescue helicopter service, to be based at Shannon Airport. The closing date for the receipt of tenders was 23 October 1990. The contract specification required that the helicopter service be in place by 1 January 1991. I have established a helicopter contract group, which is chaired by the Secretary of my Department, to examine the tenders received and to advise me on the placing of the contract. I expect the group to report on these complex tenders as soon as possible.
The establishment of the new division is primarily an integration and reorganisation of existing services. The co-ordination of local marine emergencies will be devolved to rescue sub-centres at the coast radio stations at Valentia and Malin Head and a new sub-centre to be established in Dublin. This new regional structure will enable more local knowledge to be brought to bear on emergencies, the integration of marine communications and co-ordination facilities and the devotion of much larger personnel resources to emergency response.
My Department have also identified the equipment requirements for the new structure. The key element in establishing the new structure is the recruitment of a director for the new service. This and other personnel aspects are being pursued with the Department of Finance.
Finally, in reply to Deputy McCartan, the proposed meeting was deferred until the harbour development programme which we recently announced was finalised. That programme includes improvements costing £800,000 at Howth. We will be happy to discuss this and other matters with the Howth Fishermen's Association on a date to be arranged.
The Dáil adjourned at 5.55 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 13 November 1990.