Peter Kelly (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I do not need any protection. I thank Deputy Bannon for staying to listen to me and I hope he is taking it all in. This restructuring will ensure greater conservation and sustainable exploitation of our inland fisheries. This change reflects the Government's plans to streamline State bodies, as first set out by the Minister for Finance in 2008. The establishment of a single, central, efficient, streamlined structure will ensure we are best positioned to deal with challenges facing our inland fisheries. These challenges include pollution, habitat degradation, water quality factors and over-exploitation. The new body will also be tasked with tackling certain activities at sea such as the protection of salmon and sea trout and the support of sea angling.

Currently the central and regional fisheries boards are made up of over 150 board members. We all know that such an unwieldy setup can cause problems. The new board of inland fisheries Ireland will comprise only nine core members. I welcome the news that an Oireachtas joint committee will be involved in the appointment of some of these new members. Oireachtas joint committees should be more involved in decision-making and appointments to Government boards. All political parties are represented on such committees and one gets fair representation. A smaller board will allow for greater accountability. It will also have a clear focus on efficiency and value for money. The Minister is committed to value for money on instructions from the Minister for Finance. With regard to the inland fisheries forum, existing board members who genuinely wish to remain involved in the development of our inland fisheries will have ample opportunity to contribute their valuable knowledge and ideas to a new inland fisheries forum which will be set up under this Bill. As pointed out by Deputy Bannon, it is important that any information should be sought locally from the people who know what they are talking about, know the area and know the rivers and the fishing, rather than from someone who is not involved in the local area. One cannot beat the local knowledge of the people on the ground.

Recognising the importance of stakeholder involvement at local level, the forum will establish local advisory structures which will capitalise on the goodwill and expertise available in the community. Fishing is a very relaxing pastime. There are many fishermen in County Longford who are completely committed and dedicated and who love fishing. They are cool, calm, decent, concerned citizens who fish for many hours on the banks of the rivers and are as happy as Larry doing so.

The forum will also replace the National Salmon Commission in providing advice on the management of the national salmon resource. Much work has been done in terms of conserving our salmon stocks in recent times, for example, the closure of commercial mixed stock salmon fishery and the subsequent creation of a €30 million salmon hardship fund. Further work in this area of salmon fishery will be facilitated by the new forum.

Another function of Inland Fisheries Ireland will be to operate a scheme which would distribute the resources of the eight fisheries co-operative societies which are being wound down. The new body will ensure that the resources will be put to good use by means of a grant scheme for local development groups.

There are no costs associated with this Bill and, in fact, it will lead to initial and immediate savings through efficiencies resulting from the winding down of the array of boards and societies and the National Salmon Commission. Over the years, Ireland's responsibilities under EU law have grown substantially in areas relating to inland fisheries. The habitats directive and the water framework directive which deal with environmental and habitat protection across all animal species, have placed various obligations on the Government which must be met. Inland Fisheries Ireland will manage and report on its operations on the basis of the river basin districts established for the implementation of the water framework directive. This will have a number of benefits. It will make it easier, for example, to implement future EU measures in the sector. It has been agreed that Inland Fisheries Ireland will have strong regional executive structures which will be aligned with the river basin districts as set out in the European Communities (Water Policy) Regulations 2003, which implements the EU water framework directive. This should ensure enhanced delivery of the relevant functions under the water framework directive and an approach consistent with that adopted for implementing policy in this area. It will also be beneficial in terms of implementing future EU sponsored measures in the sector.

There are six river basin districts within the area covered by the existing seven regional fisheries boards. Accordingly, there had been opposition to this approach from the existing western and north-western regional fisheries boards, whose areas are encompassed by one river basin district. However, in recognition of the scale and variety of activities and the location and number of staff across the north-west and western regions, the Government has decided that the retention of offices in both Galway and Ballina, within the western river basin district, is warranted for an initial period at least.

Ultimately, this Bill proposes to streamline and improve the structures that are currently in place in the inland fisheries sector. This will help ensure that the sector thrives and achieves its true potential. I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, well in his endeavours in order that the sector thrives and its full potential is realised.

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