Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 May 2012
257 Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will acknowledge that Ireland’s seashore employment ratio, as 1 to 1.5 approximately, compared to 1 to 3-1 to 1 to 5 in other member States is amongst the poorest in the EU; and if he will outline his plans to improve on this situation. [22444/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraOur ocean is a national asset, supporting a diverse marine economy with vast potential to tap into the €1,200 billion global market for seafood, tourism, oil and gas, renewable energy and new applications for health, medicine and technology. In parallel, our ocean gives us many non commercial benefits for example, amenity, biodiversity and our mild climate.
In Ireland, responsibility for marine matters is spread across a number of Government Departments and agencies. The Marine Co-ordination Group, chaired by myself, was established in recognition of the broad scope of the sector, and the need for better co-ordination. The Marine Co-ordination Group meets monthly and is currently taking steps to develop an integrated marine plan for Ireland in order to harness "Our Ocean Wealth". A Public Consultation document under this title has just been completed and the Marine Co-ordination Group is currently drafting "Actions that will deliver an Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland" paper. This Plan will be launched in late July 2012.The objective of the actions will be to move from generating only 1.2% of our GDP from the ocean resources, to get the environment right for investment and use the potential of our marine economy to create jobs in a sustainable manner.
