I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 92 together.
Under section 10 of the Fisheries Act, 1980, as amended by section 7 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1999, eight members are to be appointed by the Minister to each regional board. Of these eight members the Act provides that one shall be a member of the staff of the regional board nominated by the staff of the board and that six shall be appointed from candidates nominated by the prescribed organisations representing the key sectoral interests. The nomination and selection process got under way as soon as the elections of fishery interests to the boards were held and the results of the elections definitively confirmed in early April.
The very detailed process of selecting the candidates from the various nominations received from the 33 prescribed organisations has now been completed. I have this week appointed the membership of all the regional boards with the exception of appointments which will be finalised over the next week.
I look forward to board meetings being convened over the coming weeks.