Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

The Ombudsman's statement that the scheme is both deficient and flawed is in the public arena but I am quite confident that neither the Minister who was responsible nor the officials set out to advertise it in papers that would not be read by interested parties and those whose vessels were lost at sea. I take the point the in the case of a number of the vessels that were lost at sea, family members of those concerned who did not carry on the tradition may not have seen advertisements in the papers.

The Deputy asked about taking boats off the register. The boats would have been on the register for a specific period — I do not know how long — and eventually they would have been removed therefrom. The boats that were successful under the lost at sea scheme would have added to our capacity and tonnage. The decision in 1990 to establish a fishing boat register has confined us to the upper limits.

I am aware of the case in question and I have a fair amount of detail on the background thereto. It would be fair if due process took its course and we awaited the outcome of the correspondence between our office and that of the Ombudsman.

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