Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)

Every time we are here for Question Time I have the same questions for the Minister of State. No progress is being made regarding aquaculture licences, the seafood operational programme and so on. I had thought this Bill might expedite progress in these areas, but I am afraid it will not. I am wary of it. The Departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government cannot agree on the operational programme. We are losing out, in my estimation, to the tune of €10 million in co-funding from the European Fisheries Fund because we do not have an operational programme. Why do we not have such a programme? The programme was intended to run from 2007 to 2013, but it is now December 2009 and agreement from the Departments is not expected even in 2010.

I am wary of the transfer of these functions to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Both Departments must work with each other in what I hope will be the interest of the operational programme. One would think the loss of co-funding from the European Fisheries Fund would push the Departments into reaching agreement on the operational programme but they cannot seem to agree. Why is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food responsible for the area of aquaculture licensing? Is it because it is in the food sector? I do not think the licensing process will be expedited because agreement will not be reached between the two Departments.

As Deputy Creed has said, there is significant potential in the aquaculture sector. Our waters are probably the most fertile in the world for aquaculture ventures. As a nation we are losing out significantly on both jobs and exports. It is a travesty that this is happening. It is immoral that we have not advanced our aquaculture business to achieve even a fraction of the potential that is there. That is embarrassing for the Department, the Minister and the Government. It certainly would be for me if I was in the Minister's shoes.

In the aquaculture sector there is potential for anything up to 10,000 jobs. The Minister needs to look at that. I welcome this Bill wholeheartedly if it helps expedite the granting of aquaculture licences, but I do not think it will.

Another matter which under this Bill is being transferred to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is effluent discharge. A county manager, not of my own county, to whom I spoke recently told me that where there was raw sewage going into the sea they got money from the Government several years ago to put in a new treatment plant and they had to apply for a discharge licence for the new pipe from the treatment facility. The treatment facility went in, the pipe went in and to date, five years later, they do not have a foreshore licence for that pipe. If that is not incompetence, I do not know what is. Five years after the facility went in, the plant is up and running. I complimented the county manager on going ahead with something that needed to be done for the good of the public. I am surprised the head has not been taken off him. He went ahead and did what needed to be done. If he waited for the licence, that sewage treatment unit would not be working and raw sewage would still go into the sea. Can the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, see there is a kind of graph of inadequacies?

I have seen on a small scale only where one-off houses or a cluster houses received discharge licences. I may be deviating a little but I ask the Leas-Ceann Comhairle to bear with me.

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