Pádraic McCormack
Ceist:34 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for the Marine if he will provide the necessary finance to ensure the employment of adequate staff in the fishery board regions throughout the country.
Written Answers. - Fishery Boards' Staff.
I would refer the Deputy to the answer I gave the House on Wednesday 6 February on the subject of the staffing of the fishery boards.
I am fully aware of the necessity to ensure that the regional fisheries boards are adequately staffed to enable them to fulfil their functions to protect, conserve and develop the important resource that is inland fisheries.
In my reply of 6 February 1991 I pointed out that the staffing levels of all the fishery boards have fallen significantly in recent years due to general restrictions on recruitment.
I have also previously stated, that it would, in present financial circumstances, be totally unrealistic to expect that there would be any general relaxation of these restrictions or any general increase in the staffing of the fishery boards.
I would add, however, that the Exchequer grant to the boards has been increased in the past couple of years and that I am actively studying the assessment of the board's staffing which I instructed my Department to carry out.
It is my intention that a number of priority posts would be filled.