State-aided fish processing projects
Daly questioned whether approved processing projects had actually proceeded; D’Arcy did not know how many had been completed and promised to provide the information. Mac Giolla also pressed for a policy to encourage processing, and D’Arcy cited the fish advisory marketing committee’s work to secure markets.
The Minister gave some figures for the number of projects which had been approved. The Minister will be aware that, even though some of those projects have been approved, a very high percentage of them have not been undertaken. Has he any plans to ensure that projects which have been approved for processing are undertaken? Would he use his initiative to ensure that they are undertaken?
Comment on this
I am not aware of that; I do not know. According to my information here, 152 projects with a total fixed asset investment of £34.4 million were approved for State aid amounting to £10.3 million.
Comment on this
Has the Minister a policy for promoting and encouraging the processing of fish or is he leaving it to other Ministers, the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism or whoever, to do the job for him? What policy has the Minister for encouraging the IDA, private interests or whoever to become involved in the fish processing industry?
Comment on this
We have a policy which is being followed through. Part of that policy has been the establishment of a fish advisory marketing committee which I chair myself. That committee is comprised of officials from the Department of Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism, officials of my Department and of An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, and all the fishing interests. That committee have been in existence two and a half years and have been quite successful in securing markets for processed fish. I should say that the main focus is on processed fish. We have just landed a very good contract on the Canadian market with a Dublin firm. Once that firm had signed the contract for the fish they could take on 20 extra people the following day. The contract is for six different species of fish, all processed fish. We are at present examining the American market, which is very lucrative, and we are hopeful to make a breakthrough there in the next two or three months. The Canadian, American and German markets are the main ones involved in the buying of fish. This is the first time the entire industry has been represented around the same table. Therefore we are getting our information from the industry itself.