Dr. Peter Heffernan:

I thank members for their questions. With regard to the relative distribution of the share of fisheries resources, the allocation of the shared pie under the Common Fisheries Policy is relatively stable and not generally up for substantial renegotiation. Having said that, I have made a pledge to every Minister I have served that investing in science will give them a strong suit in the context of the negotiations process. I have never had a Minister complain about the quality of the sciencific advice and tools they were given as they went in to negotiate. That is the best answer I can give to that question.

Several members asked about resources and whether more were required. It would be a rare chief executive officer who would deny more resources would not be very helpful. I am cognisant, however, of the reality of the economic crisis the nation is going through. In the context in which we find ourselves, the commitment to maintain science investments across the board has, relatively speaking, been strong. We have had reductions in our budget, in common with other relatively similar organisations, and it has challenged us greatly in terms of our ability as an organisation to adapt. We have maintained our full family of front-line services against the backdrop of a requirement to drive efficiencies. We have suffered staff losses and budget cuts, but I am confident that we can turn a corner in the period ahead and continue to increase our proportion of earnings from international sources. It is a matter of pride for us that the vessels Deputy Noel Harrington mentioned not only are of great service to the State but have also assisted us in meeting the challenge of the fiscal crisis by generating solid income for the institute, thus helping to minimise the cost of the economic downturn in recent years. We have, for instance, developed charter arrangements with governments in Germany, Newfoundland and Labrador that have worked very well for all parties.

We will in the next quarter be renewing the research plan for the period 2014 to 2020. Members mentioned ICT, biotechnology and ocean energy as areas that have been prioritised. We intend to maintain that prioritisation because they are areas in which a sustained effort and cumulative build-up of capacity will have a significant payback for the State. Where ICT and biotechnology can be applied in the ocean sphere is where we can get a real routing of these multinational capacities in Ireland. We are not going to helicopter out the resources at the Goban Spur. There is great potential in that special mix, which is possible on a small island, which sees a cluster effect of large multinationals engaging with small Irish companies. It is a significant advantage to be able to get all of these people in one room, as we do annually with more than 80 companies. I am very heartened that the research prioritisation exercise has given a higher priority than ever before in the history of the State to marine areas, something we have advocated for the past 20 years.

It was particularly encouraging to hear the director general of Science Foundation Ireland state at a recent conference that ocean energy was a potential game changer economically for the country. The announcement by SFI last week of funding of more than €29 million for a research centre builds on a programme of earlier investments by the Marine Institute and our development of a strategy in this area. Wave energy will be the most significant element of energy generation in this country in the long term, with offshore wind energy being the main aspect in the near term.

In Ireland wave energy will be the biggest component in the long term, offshore wind energy will be the biggest in the near term, and a smaller component of tidal energy resources, particularly on the east coast, areas of the Shannon and off the coast of Northern Ireland, are particularly promising. We must have the confidence and perseverance to sustain the investment in ocean energy to reap the reward. Uniquely on this planet, Ireland, together with Scotland, has the greatest natural advantage in wave energy anywhere in the world. A former Secretary of Energy in the US, a Nobel laureate, Dr. Chu, said to me on a recent visit that, for Ireland, ocean energy is a no-brainer while for America, it is one for only a few states. This is a unique opportunity for us. It will take a level of scientific endeavour, commitment and investment to make it pay off but I would strongly advocate that we continue with the plan in this area.

With regard to the discovery at the Goban Spur, I do not want in any way to steal the glory from the scientists from NUIG, who made the recent discovery on the ships with partners from other areas. This finding is very important on two fronts. It shows that an Irish-led expedition can make such a discovery. It is a discovery of a new area of intense life on a vertical cliff face and it needs to be further developed. This was a first expeditionary study and more follow-up work is required to map the extent of that type of life form and its distribution and that will be done. The area of biotechnology in terms of ocean energy has a medium to long-term economic payback but we have a lot territory and it is well worth our while to sustain the effort in that area.

Moving on to the shipping and transport area, a study by our IMDO and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland of the service industries and ports' opportunities to service an emerging wind energy and ocean energy offshore component was carried out in the past year and I can provide that to the secretariat. That work has been done. There is not currently a study in Ireland on RAS in terms of sea lice as a natural predator but it is one of the areas that has been suggested to us should be examined in the next phase of our research funding, starting in 2014 and beyond. We will engage in a public consultation process in order that all interested parties can identify from their perspective the areas that should receive a research focus and we will take those into consideration in crafting where we apply the available resources in the years 2014 to 2020.

The explorer and voyager vessels have had many very positive experiences of docking and getting services in Castletownbere. We have survived economically really okay through the downturn, compensated by our ability to adapt and generate income internationally. We now have a greater ability to compete in Europe and have the flexibility to employ people based on resources, one of which is from a source that is a very significant element of our business model. We have been given that sanction in recent months which unlocks one of our hands in competing in European context. I can complain and advocate for resources but I am mindful of the words of a mentor of mine in America who imparted to me the guiding principle that he never heard anyone whine their way to success.