Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if the annual accounts of the regional fisheries boards in respect of 2007 and 2008 have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas; if not, the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37146/08]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with sections 19 and 22 of the Fisheries Act 1980, as amended by the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1999, each fisheries board is required, no later than a month after completion of audit, to present a copy of its accounts to the Minister.

As Minister, I am required, within three months of receiving the accounts of the fisheries boards, and following my bringing of the accounts to Government, to lay them, together with the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, before each House of the Oireachtas.

My Department has, up to recently, received audited accounts in respect of 2007 from six of the eight fisheries boards and awaits audited accounts from the Central Fisheries Board and the South Western Regional Fisheries Boards. I understand reports on these accounts are still being finalised by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

I intend to bring the audited accounts of the six boards to Government shortly and lay them before both Houses of the Oireachtas thereafter.

The two outstanding audited sets of accounts will be brought to Government following completion of the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit and published thereafter in accordance with the statute.

The 2008 accounts will be prepared by the boards in accordance with the Fisheries Act 1980, as amended by the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1999, and I expect them to be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in 2009.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Can I ask the Minister of State if all the reports from 2006 have been laid before the Houses because I am having difficulty in getting information? Does the Minister accept that the system is incredibly slow if we are waiting on the 2007 reports? I was asking about 2006 and 2007. I do not know how the question refers to 2007 and 2008 but that is my fault. I should have been careful about that but there appears to be a delay on the 2006 reports as well. I cannot understand how the production of these reports can be so slow and if it is the case that the Minister can bring a number of the regional fisheries boards' reports forward, why was that not done before now?

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I was not too sure but the point has been clarified regarding 2007 and 2008. The 2006 audited accounts were noted by the Government in May and are due to be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas in the coming days.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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That is incredible.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy might let me make the point. Under section 10 of the Official Languages Act of 2003, annual reports and audited accounts must be published in both official languages simultaneously. The Irish translations of the 2006 accounts were only delivered to us on 22 October.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Two years.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Sorry, in October 2008.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Yes, that is a year and a half.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Does the Minister of State accept that this is ludicrous? He is about to engage in a radical alteration of the structures of the fisheries boards but the reports relating to 2006 have not yet been laid before the House. The purpose of this alteration is to save money and make the system more efficient. I do not know how it will be possible to do so if even the most basic information has not been released into the public arena. I suggest that it is not necessary to wait for the full Irish translation before the English version is published. If it is necessary to wait, is it not the Minister of State's responsibility to ensure that the Irish text is published on time in order that the ludicrous situation will not arise — as in this case in respect of 2006 — where the relevant information is not available?

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The outstanding accounts are with the Comptroller and Auditor General. I would not like to give the impression that there is something wrong or that something underhanded is being done. The delay should not have happened. We will not be obliged to tolerate that delay much longer because the rationalisation to which I referred earlier is being carried out.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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This is the Minister of State's responsibility.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I am quite happy to accept that responsibility.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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In that event, the Minister of State should get on with it.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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It is also the Deputy's responsibility to table the correct question. The original question refers to the wrong year. Everything is not perfect. The original question refers to 2007 and 2008. I am trying to be as helpful as possible.

Under the Official Languages Act 2003, annual reports and audited accounts must be published in both official languages simultaneously. The Irish translations only arrived in the Department on 22 October.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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When were the Irish translations commissioned?

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy asked a number of supplementary questions and I am happy to deal with them. We engaged in discussions with the Central Fisheries Board and the regional boards and we expect the process relating to the submission of Irish translations to improve in the future. Delays in the submission of these translations have caused difficulties in the context of producing reports and accounts on time.

The Central Fisheries Board is obliged to make an annual report on its activities and on those of each regional board and fisheries co-operative society. In accordance with sections 19 and 22 of the Fisheries Act 1980, the Minister is required to lay the report and the accounts of the fisheries boards, together with the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on those accounts, before each House of the Oireachtas.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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A brief supplementary from Deputy McManus.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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To conclude, the submission——

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I wish to allow a brief supplementary from the Deputy.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Does the Minister of State accept that it is his responsibility to ensure that this information is laid before the House? How does he intend to address the problem of long delays? Restructuring the fisheries boards in their entirety will take a long time.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The submission processes relating to the annual reports for 2006 and 2007 were not in compliance with statutory deadlines. Both reports were presented to the Government in May and July, respectively, but are yet to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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So the Minister of State is breaking the law.

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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There have been delays in respect of receiving the Irish language version of each report from the Central Fisheries Board. Irish language versions of the 2006 and 2007 reports were only received last week. These report will be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas in the coming days. If the Deputy requires a reason in respect of the rationalisation we are carrying out, I can provide it to her.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Perhaps the Ministers should be rationalised.