Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire chuig na díospóireachta.

The restructuring and reorganisation of the fisheries boards have become such a long running saga that it will soon be on a par with that relating to the draining of the River Shannon. The recent suggestion that they were part of an overall rationalisation of State agencies is something of a distortion, particularly in view of the fact that the proposition to rationalise the fisheries boards dates back to the period 2005-06. The proposition to which I refer has been in the pipeline for three years and it is four years since the elections were originally due to be held. The latter is a serious development. Fine Gael is frustrated by the fact that the Government has allowed so much time to elapse in respect of what should be an achievable objective. In the light of the collective intelligence of the Minister and his civil servants, we are of the view that the task relating to this matter is not insurmountable. If it is proving to be so, that will hardly instil confidence with regard to the processes of government. It is time the Administration got its act together.

We do not oppose the concept of rationalisation, in principle. The theory behind it is acceptable and we have no difficulty with it. One of my party's spokespersons in the Dáil, Deputy Varadkar, has been championing the notion of reducing the number of quangos and engaging in a process of rationalisation, where possible, for a number of months. While we do not necessarily have a philosophical problem with rationalisation, we are concerned that the regional dimension and the democratic aspect of the current system should be maintained. We would not like to see the emergence of a HSE-style scenario, with a new structure being imposed on an existing one and an unwieldy monolith being created as a result.

The delay in the holding of elections is not acceptable. I am of the view that, deep down, the Minister also holds this opinion. At a meeting of the Joint Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Deputy Coveney inquired as to why, if the Minister was so confident that the new structures would be in place next year, the elections needed to be postponed, particularly if the new structures would supersede those already in place. In the move to postpone the elections there appears to be an almost implicit acceptance that, yet again, all may not be ready. That is a bizarre concept but it could prove to be the case. Based on past history, we cannot be confident that what is envisaged for 2009 will be achieved. In 2006, before he was appointed, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, expressed personal frustration about the delay in holding elections. He correctly identified it then as a discredited proposal. I put it to him that postponing these elections remains a discredited proposition, one which must be viewed as an admission of failure on the part of Government.

A point worthy of mention in the context of this debate is the fact that the Comptroller and Auditor General has not yet signed off on the 2007 accounts of the fisheries boards. This point was raised at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and should be put on the record of the Seanad. A figure of €1.5 million is quoted in respect of rental property from 2005 to 2009, an astronomical amount. I am interested in hearing at the end of this debate the Minister's response in terms of whether we could be dealing with a FÁS-type situation and if internal checks in this regard have been carried out.

We are concerned, in the context of the all-Ireland agreement, that the cross-Border dimension be included in the new structures. I put the Minister on notice that Fine Gael will oppose this legislation on the grounds that it is frustratingly delaying, bizarre and is an indication of an incompetence on the part of Government. The electorate and observers of this debate today would be horrified at an Opposition acquiescing to such a procedure. This matter should have been dealt with a couple of years ago.