andMr. Keaveney asked the Minister for Fisheries the assistance available to aid the promotion of shellfish industries such as scallop, mussel and oyster.

An Bord Iascaigh Mhara and Gaeltarra Éireann give financial assistance towards the launching of new shellfish farming enterprises. Both my Department and An Bord Iascaigh Mhara also assist by providing technical and marketing advice to any person or body interested in engaging in shellfish farming.

3.

andMr. Keaveney asked the Minister for Fisheries whether grants are available for the promotion of shellfish industries.

I am presuming that the Deputies are referring to industries for the processing of shellfish.

The Industrial Development Authority or Gaeltarra Éireann as appropriate are prepared to grant-aid the establishment or extension of suitable fish processing projects.

Such projects would include those wholly or partly dependent on shellfish as a raw material.

Is the Minister aware that deep sea divers are involved in denuding the sea of shellfish and is his Department prepared to take any steps to protect this very valuable source of income?

I am aware that there are newspaper reports to that effect but the question addressed to me deals with an entirely different matter. The question I have been asked relates to the promotion of shellfish industries —that is, shore based industries—and it has nothing whatever to do with the spearing of shellfish by divers.

Could the Minister tell us what grants have been made available for the promotion of the industry?

In the period 1960 to date grants for fish processing from Irish Government sources totalled more than £2.5 million, and since 1973 financial assistance in excess of £1 million has been approved by the FEOGA authorities for Irish fish processing projects.

Is that for shellfish?

No, fish processing.

4.

asked the Minister for Fisheries the sum available to BIM in the current Estimate for fisheries (a) for administrative purposes and (b) for development.

A sum of £1,790,000 is provided by way of grant-in-aid in the Fisheries Vote for 1977 for expenditure by An Bord Iascaigh Mhara on administration and current development. The apportionment of this sum between the two headings is primarily a matter for the board.

Surely the Minister can tell the House what the exact figure for administration is and the exact figure for development.

There is no exact figure because An Bord Iascaigh Mhara are in the position that they can apportion the sum between the two headings as the board decide.

Do I take it then the Minister is not in a position to tell the House what sum BIM have available for development in the current year?

In their wisdom An Bord Iascaigh Mhara can decide on the apportionment of the total sum of £1,790,000. This is an on-going situation. An Bord Iascaigh Mhara will decide how much they will give to each section.

Can the Minister give an approximate figure as to what will be available for development and what for administration in the current year?

That could not be given because the board decide and the board will probably decide some day next week when they meet. The board can change that decision at any point in time and give more money to one and less to another.

So the situation could arise in which no money would be available for development?

No, I do not think so. We are not tying the board down. The board can decide what it will spend on each. It is the board's decision, the board's responsibility and the board's right.

Is the Minister satisfied the money granted is sufficient?

It is more than last year.

Surely this is an unsatisfactory situation. The Minister cannot tell the House how much money in an Estimate provided by the Department of Finance for a Department which is now his direct responsibility will be made available for development in the current year?

It is not an unsatisfactory situation. We do not want to hogtie the board to exactly how much they must spend on each particular section.

Approximately—not exactly.

We want the board to be free to spend as much as they think desirable within the amount available. The board make their decisions from week to week and my function is to watch carefully to ensure the board do what we wish them to do.

May I ask one final supplementary?

I have given the Deputy a great deal of latitude.

In view of the fact that An Bord Iascaigh Mhara know the complement of people employed and the position in relation to wage agreements, to which the board will be bound, can the Minister not at this stage give some indication as to what will be available for administration and for development?

This is repetition.

That is a matter for the board and not for me.

Is it proposed to have a whole number of extra people employed this year?

I am happy with the employment situation at the present time and we will endeavour by every means at our disposal to ensure the position remains satisfactory.

It is extraordinary the Minister has no figure.

It is not extraordinary at all. The board are the operative arm. The board take the decisions. We keep a watch.

But the Minister is providing the money.

5.

asked the Minister for Fisheries if, as a result of the creation of a new Department of Fisheries, extra moneys are to be made available for the development of the fishing industry in 1977.

I have not yet had the opportunity of satisfying myself as to whether additional financing will be necessary in 1977 for the fishing industry.

In reply to a question of mine last week the Taoiseach stated no extra duties were envisaged for the new Minister. We know now no extra moneys will be provided for 1977. In view of that fact would the Minister tell us why it is necessary to set up a Ministry or is it just a vote of no confidence in his colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, or in the Parliamentary Secretary who previously carried out the work? No extra duties are being assigned to the Minister.

It is not a vote of no confidence in anybody, least of all the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Parliamentary Secretary. The importance of the industry is growing day by day and there has arrived a point in time at which, because of the denudation of fish stocks and the Common Market situation, whereby very heavy extra duties will fall upon the person discharging the office of the Minister for Fisheries, or whoever carried out those duties before there was a Minister for Fisheries, there is a necessity for the extension and the advancement of the industry which in turn necessitates the appointment of a Minister for Fisheries who will do his best and work very hard in Brussels and at home. A point in time has been reached when the Government rightly took the decision to appoint a Minister for Fisheries and I was lucky enough to get that appointment.

We certainly welcome the appointment.

I thank the Deputy.

And we wish the Minister every luck.

I thank the Deputy.

Nevertheless, his colleague at a meeting——

This is Question Time.

Is the Minister aware that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Fisheries promised a group of fishermen down in Baltimore that extra moneys would be provided for the development of fisheries this year. He also promised that better credit terms would be provided and greater grants would be given for the purchase of boats. Has the Minister anything to say on that matter?

I am happy with what the Parliamentary Secretary said. I look forward to the situation where more skippers will buy boats. The cost of boats is increasing all the time and, therefore, on a percentage basis the increase in grants will be automatic. I will exert myself as best I can to develop the industry by expansion of the fishing fleet.

Does that mean the Minister intends to extend the time limit in relation to credit and to decrease the amount of deposit that must be paid for boats?

It does not mean that.

It appears the Parliamentary Secretary's representations have fallen on barren ground.

I do not think the Parliamentary Secretary said one wrong word.

6.

asked the Minister for Fisheries when the proposed legislation to increase substantially the fines for illegal fishing off this country's coast will be introduced.

I expect to be in a position shortly to introduce the legislation in question.

Will the Minister define what is meant by the word "shortly"? This is the third time I put down a question of this kind in the House but no action has been taken. Will the Minister state when the legislation will be introduced?

The parliamentary draftsmen have a heavy programme of work but I will do my best to get this legislation as soon as possible.

May we take it that the legislation will be introduced during this session?

I hope it will.

Will the Minister give an indication of the kind of legislation he envisages?

The legislation will be very simple, namely, to increase substantially the fines for illegal fishing off our coasts.

Are any other steps envisaged?

There may be other steps but the major one is the increase in fines.

The Minister has stated that the legislation will be very simple and, therefore, I am sure it will not be such a big job for the parliamentary draftsmen.

They have to put their beady eye on it.

I am calling Question No. 7.

May I ask one final supplementary question?

I have given the Deputy a lot of latitude but he may put a brief question.

Will the Minister tell the House, other than what he has said already, what extra type of precautions will be included in this legislation?

No. I will wait for the legislation.

Does the Minister know?

I do.

Question No. 7 has been called.