Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Question 30: To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Fisheries and Food the arrangements put in place for students to complete a full skippers ticket in his Department's training school following the retirement and non replacement of the second teacher in Castletownbere, County Cork. [13032/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Bord Iascaigh Mhara is the leading provider of vocational training to the seafood industry. By providing accredited training services to fishing, aquaculture and processing personnel, it underpins this indigenous industry and adds to its skill set. Bord Iascaigh Mhara's seafood industry training programmes are delivered through its training centres at the National Fisheries College in Greencastle, the regional fisheries centre in Castletownbere, its three mobile coastal training units and its seafood development centre in Clonakilty. The National Fisheries College and the regional fisheries centre are equipped to deliver a broad range of courses that are accredited by the Department of Transport and the Further Education and Training Awards Council.

Deputy Colreavy probably knows all of that, so I will answer his question. I do not want to talk my way out of answering it, which is something may previous Ministers were perceived to do. The employment contract of a master mariner instructor in the regional fisheries centre in Castletownbere concluded in August 2008. As a result, the skipper full certificate of competency course could not be offered in Castletownbere and aspiring candidates were redirected to Bord Iascaigh Mhara's National Fisheries College in Greencastle, County Donegal. Following the retirement of a master mariner in Greencastle last December, Bord Iascaigh Mhara had to cancel the skipper full certificate course there. That was alluded to in the Deputy's question. My Department and Bord Iascaigh Mhara have commenced discussions on addressing the personnel needs of the delivery of the skipper full certificate course, in the context of the board's employment control framework targets.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara has not been able to fill positions that became vacant when people retired, essentially, as a result of the recruitment ban. It is crazy that the board does not have the skill set to provide the full skipper course about which Deputy Colreavy asked. Over the past 18 months or so, there has been a significant increase in interest in the fisheries sector. For the first time in many years, young people want to enter the fishing industry, for example, by becoming skippers and deck hands. Many courses are still on offer and are being availed of. The training course that leads to the highest qualification for the skippers of fishing vessels in Ireland is not being provided at the moment. We need to resolve that issue with Bord Iascaigh Mhara. I am trying to do that at the moment. It will require sanction from the Department of Finance.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Last night, the Minister indicated the fisheries and fish processing business has a potential value of €1 billion. While I agreed wholeheartedly with the vision for agri-food and fisheries he set out, I cautioned that the policies, practices and choices that are made are often contrary to his vision and do not bring us closer to achieving its objectives. What we have here is an example of that phenomenon.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Deputy ask a question please?

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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What plans are in place to implement the report that was done regarding business plans for the development of fishery harbours centres nationally? Have any students been unable to finish their full skippers ticket by virtue of the resignation of the teacher in question? Do the Departments not engage in forward planning? Surely someone knew that this essential cog in the wheel was about to retire.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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To clarify the issue, two individuals retired rather than resigned. Bord Iascaigh Mhara has advised that in the interim and as a matter of urgency it is seeking instructors on a service supply basis through the Government's e-tender website. The short-term solution it seeks is to bring in someone from the private sector to provide the services required to train skippers for the fishing industry. It is unlikely, however, that this will provide a long-term solution for people in Castletownbere, Killybegs, Greencastle, Dingle or on the east coast. The reason this case arose and other, similar cases are arising in many other Departments is that the recruitment ban prevents departmental staff from being replaced on retirement. A problem often arises when someone with a specific skill set who can normally be replaced by someone else in the Department retires from a Department. In this case, however, the skill set required of a master mariner to teach the course in question meant that no one within Bord Iascaigh Mhara was available to replace the individual in question. As a result, we must resort to the use of e-tenders to have the persons in question replaced in the short-term. I accept, however, that a long-term solution is required.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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May I ask a brief supplementary question?

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Speakers should keep questions and replies short.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Does this case not beg the question as to why provision is not made to allow persons with an essential qualification be replaced, especially if failure to replace the person will damage the vision the Minister outlined so well last night?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I concur with the Deputy. However, such provision is being made in some cases. For example, the Department recently secured sanction to increase the number of teachers in agricultural colleges to respond to the problem arising from increased student numbers. While the case before us should not have arisen, Ireland does not have many master mariners, specifically those who could fill the post in question or would like to join the public sector. The position requires a specific skill set and only a relatively small number of people want to do the skippers course. While we are resolving the problem in the short term, I accept the need for a longer term solution.