asked the Minister for Fisheries if he will ensure that adequate State funds are available to promote the development and viability of the fishing industry and the creation of employment in this sector.

The amounts provided in the Estimates for the Fisheries Vote for the current year have been calculated on the basis of maximum expansion and development considered possible during the year in relation to the services for which my Department and the semi-State bodies under its control are responsible. The development of the fish processing and other commercial aspects of the industry are matters for private enterprise, but adequate provision is made by the Industrial Development Authority and Gaeltarra Éireann, as appropriate, for grant assistance in this sector. The financial provision made by my Department is expected to generate an increase of 21 per cent in the employment figure for 1977.