Vol. 484 No. 4
66 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the current capacity of the Irish registered merchant fleet; the measures, if any, available to assist in fleet development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22384/97]
As of 30 June 1997 a total of 75 merchant shipping vessels of 100 gross tonnes and over were entered on the Irish register totalling some 189,859 gross tonnes.
Development of the shipping sector must take account of its international nature. Irish shipping interests need to be in a position to compete effectively with those from EU and third countries. Seafarer training must meet the highest international standards to maintain high levels of professionalism and safety requirements. The State's role is to create a suitable framework to enable the shipping sector to achieve its full potential.
Initiatives undertaken or under consideration by my Department include:
Fiscal Concessions
Reliefs introduced in the 1996 Finance Act. These enable vessels dry leased by Irish interests to qualify for 10 per cent corporation profits tax and double ring fencing against tax-based ship leasing has been removed; refund of employer PRSI in respect of seafarers is the provisions which were introduced in the Social Welfare Regulations, 1977 represent considerable cost savings for Irish registered and controlled ships; provisional arrangements have been made to initiate the scheme pending necessary approval from the European Commission; seafarer taxation is the possibility of introducing reliefs is under active review; seafarer training is the Shipboard Training Subsidy introduced in 1996 has helped to secure essential training placements for students at Cork Regional Technical College, and a task force to examine all aspects of seafarer training with representation from those engaged in the shipping sector including shipowners and trade unions together with education and training interests will commence its work very shortly.
