Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for accepting this issue today. I am not surprised we are discussing it. It is good that it is being aired in the House. It should not have come to this but we must air the matter now to ensure we do not have to return to it in the future.

The most damning part of the statement from the NMCI is that it applied for accreditation in February 2015 and as of yesterday it still had not received formal approval for the course. Noting the delays in the Marine Survey Office, it was able to go to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, MCA, in the UK, get approval in May or June last year and have a course up and running in August 2015. It has now trained more than 400 personnel and given them a European recognised accreditation, yet the Marine Survey Office refuses to recognise that accreditation. There is something badly wrong if such a situation can develop and the inertia from February 2015 through to today is allowed to continue.

I have dealt with fishermen who were obliged to deal with the Marine Survey Office over the years and I am aware that they have great difficulty getting processed and dealt with through that office. I have raised issues on numerous occasions in the House relating to fishermen getting their skipper's tickets recognised for work in the offshore industry and in the workboat industry. In the UK jurisdiction, a person who has a full skipper's ticket can automatically get a workboat licence for a workboat up to 500 tonne weight. One cannot do that here. The Marine Survey Office insists that the person must go on a two-year course in the national college and work up six months sea time in the sector before it might consider giving them the certificate. There is a real problem with the Marine Survey Office responding to the needs of people working in the industry and getting their certification.

I hope the Minister will intervene to resolve this issue and that the issue can be resolved. The prospect of 400 seafarers being out of work, the possible closure of the training course and the losses this would cause is too much to lose at this stage. However, it might be welcome if it leads to changes in the Marine Survey Office so that it will do what it is supposed to do and respond by facilitating the training and allowing it to happen, rather than sitting on an application for more than 16 months with nothing being done about it.

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