Vol. 526 No. 5
1 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the actions he proposes to take on the CIRCA report dealing with the aquaculture sector; if the Government will act on the many recommendations contained in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26981/00]
The CIRCA group was commissioned last year to carry out a comprehensive strategic analysis of future directions for Irish aquaculture. The report was published last June and I fully concur with its analysis that sustainable development of the aquaculture industry makes sound economic sense in national and regional terms. The report recommends a range of strategies to achieve critical mass and value added in production, diversification into new species, best environmental practice, quality assurance and innovation. These are the key challenges which must be met if the aquaculture industry is to succeed in a very competitive international market for seafood.
The Government is fully committed to supporting the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry. Funding of £25 million has been allocated under the two regional operational programmes to underpin investment strategies for the aquaculture sector up to 2006. This level of investment support, which is fully in line with the CIRCA finding, is more than double the funding available under the last round and underlines our commitment to realising the full potential of the sector. My Department, BIM, Údarás and the Marine Institute will continue to work with the industry to deliver on all the strategic priorities identified by the CIRCA report.
Work is under way to finalise the investment schemes under the regional operational programmes. These will underpin delivery of the targets and objectives of the strategic plan. I look forward to launching the schemes in the near future. In tandem with the investment support strategies, work is continuing to ensure that the licensing process delivers as effectively and speedily as possible. A solid licensing framework which has the confidence of the industry and all interested parties will continue to be a key priority.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am in favour of the recommendations put forward in the CIRCA report because if we can create 600 new jobs in the most peripheral areas around our coastline, we are obviously doing a good job. However, there are huge question marks over this area because it is difficult to see how production could be increased from approximately 39,000 to 160,000 in light of the infrastructure that exists. At whom will the £25 million to which the Minister of State referred be targeted?
Will the Minister of State indicate the new species that are to be targeted? I accept that salmon, sea-reared trout, mussels and oysters are commercially viable species, but is the Minister of State in a position to indicate the other species on which we will have to focus before the scheme can be made to work? What type of research and development activity is ongoing in this area at present? If we are not involved in research and development or if we cannot import research and development expertise from outside this jurisdiction, we will not be able to develop the industry.
I congratulate Deputy Connaughton on his promotion. Perhaps later today he will be elevated to an even higher position. I assure the Deputy that, as far as I am concerned, we will achieve the targets we have set out and we will create 600 jobs in peripheral areas. I am pleased the Deputy agrees that, other than in the area of aquaculture, it is difficult to create jobs in remote coastal areas. I am confident that we can achieve our goals in this area and in order to do so we intend to develop old reliable species such as oysters, mussels and salmon.
We are considering moving into the development of abalone, turbot and other species in respect of which we have not yet carried out sufficient research. At all times we use research resources from at home and abroad. I am satisfied that the research facilities on offer here are of the highest calibre. However, research carried out at home is not always completely comprehensive and we have sought advice from abroad. In that context, I recently visited New Zealand and Chile where we procured an enormous amount of research that will help us to achieve our ambitions in this area.
Will the Minister of State indicate the areas that are likely to benefit?
I take it the Deputy is referring to the plan.
That is correct.
The west will benefit to a greater degree than the part of the country I represent. However, I assure the Deputy that Wexford and the south coast will not be forgotten. I intend to disburse the substantial moneys available to me in such a way that will help me to achieve the targets set out in the NDP.
