Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, Deputy Mary Alexandra White, go dtí an Teach. As Senator Brady rightly said, fishing is linked to tourism and we hope this Bill will act as a catalyst to entice fishermen and women back to Ireland. Senator O'Reilly made that point also in his fine contribution.

The purpose of the Bill is to restore the inland fisheries sector. That must be its purpose but in his contribution the Minister spoke about the status quo and change. Listening to his contribution did not give me much confidence in that regard. I hope the Minister and his Department, which has overall responsibility for this area, will work with the different agencies and stakeholders because it is important we assist local residents, promote tourism and protect fish stock.

The restructuring of the inland fishery sector is to be welcomed. The savings of €300,000 per annum should not be ignored. They are significant. Yet again, the Green Party and Fianna Fáil have shown a willingness to adopt and embrace Fine Gael policy on the abolition of quangos and the amalgamation of different sectors to provide a better service to the people. I commend them on that.

I note in the explanatory memorandum and the excellent resource pack that there is a reference to a strong regional presence. The main thrust of my contribution is about the need to address the problem of flooding, especially in regard to the upkeep and maintenance of our rivers and river banks. Specifically I will address the issue of dredging and de-silting of our rivers. I appreciate that there are different viewpoints on the issue of the height of the river and the level of silt but it is time we formulated a clear policy on flood relief programmes and this new body should work in co-operation with the Office of Public Works, the county councils and other regional authorities where necessary.

I refer to what happened in Cork last November in the area of Ballinhassig, and particularly in the area of Tullig Beg, where I along with my Oireachtas colleagues met residents who have been severely affected by flooding. A small group of people in Ballinhassig, on the edge of Cork city, have been affected by flooding on the Owenabue river. What we have seen is the accumulation of silt on the river making it virtually impossible for the water levels we experienced to be allowed to flow. As a result we have had flooding causing people to be discommoded from their homes, and in some cases they have not yet been able to return. We then have the ignominy for the residents in that the Minister with responsibility for the OPW did not include their specific request in the announcement of flood relief works. That is unfair to those families and sends out the wrong message.

I accept that inland fisheries are a tremendous natural resource of which we should be mindful but we must also look after residents who are affected by flooding. I appeal to the Minister, Deputy Mansergh, who I regret had to leave the Chamber, to revisit this issue because we have competition in terms of how best to serve local communities. Some people say we should not de-silt or dredge rivers while others say we should do that.

I note there is no reference in the functions of the Bill to the role of the new inland fisheries authority regarding dredging and maintenance of our river beds and banks. If I have missed it the officials might advise the Minister of State, Deputy White, when replying to the debate. I hope she would ask the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, to ensure the flood prevention and relief works in the Ballinhassig area through Tullig Beg, where there is a small pocket of residents affected by flooding, can be addressed through this new body.

The Minister, Deputy Ryan, makes great virtue of the fact that he is using the committee to appoint members to the board but I am disappointed, and I refer to the Minister's speech, that under section 12 he does not have confidence in the committee or the public appointments process to appoint the chairperson through public competition. I hoped he would have said that the chairperson of the board would be appointed through the public office commission rather than through the Minister who will have the power to appoint two nominees. I am aware the Green Party has a great record in Government of appointing its own people to boards. Fianna Fáil's record in that regard is second to none but-----