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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 14 Jun 2000

Vol. 521 No. 2

Written Answers. - Shipping Industry.

Michael Finucane

Ceist:

37 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the steps taken by him, in accordance with An Action Programme for the Millennium, to develop a comprehensive policy for the shipping industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16757/00]

As the Deputy is aware, the development of our maritime sector is high lighted in the Government's An Action Programme for the Millennium, as reviewed in November 1999.

The programme gives unique recognition to the strategic importance of our shipping industry and commits to establishing a national maritime college, together with an Irish maritime development office.

The commitment to set up the Irish maritime development office was delivered with the necessary legislation enacted last December. For the first time in the State's history the shipping industry and the onshore shipping services sector has its own dedicated development office within the Marine Institute. The office's advisory group, which has representatives of the shipping and shipping services sector and independent legal, banking and financial expertise, has been at work since December. A director for the office will be appointed later this month.

The Government's purpose in setting up the Irish maritime development office is not just to encourage the growth of the Irish merchant fleet, but also to facilitate the growth in Ireland of a wide range of shipping related services: ship financing, agency, insurance, chartering, brokerage and maritime legal services. This growth will be achieved through the development of existing Irish services and the attraction of such services from abroad and an overhaul of the legislative framework governing merchant shipping.

Consultants, Cap Gemini Ernst and Young, have also been engaged by the IMDO to recommend a package of incentives that will establish Ireland as a highly competitive location for shipping and related financial, legal, insurance and management services.

In the meantime, I am continuing to press the case for incentives and fiscal measures beyond those already in place in terms of corporation tax, income tax allowances for seafarers and PRSI refunds to their employers. I will also look at the possibilities for modifying the existing reliefs to make them both more attractive and more effective and my Department is closely monitoring the tonnage tax situation and especially developments on that front in the UK. This is also being factored in to ongoing discussions with the Department of Finance.

A video and brochure were launched in November 1999 to encourage our young people to take up careers at sea and pursue professional educational and training courses in the maritime area. Copies of the video were placed with every career guidance teacher and are available to interested students.

In May the Government formally approved the establishment of the promised national maritime college costing some £30 million. The new college will be a state-of-the-art centre of excellence for maritime training, capable of meeting Ireland's seafarer training needs into the future.

In establishing the college the Government is ensuring that third level education in the maritime disciplines in Ireland will be second to none and will be available to those of our young people who wish to pursue maritime careers. The college is to be built on a ten acre site at Ringaskiddy provided by the Department of Defence. It will service all the needs of the Merchant Marine and Naval Service in a unique collaborative venture between the service and the Cork Institute of Technology.
Having considered funding options for the college the Government has decided that construction should be undertaken as a public-private partnership and this is now being progressed by the Departments of Education and Science, Finance and my Department.
With the developments which I have outlined, our shipping sector will be well positioned for the future and we can look to it to capture real opportunities and generate new and sustainable jobs.
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