Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would reiterate that the current review under section 18 does not focus, as the Senator said, on the allegations raised on the Order of Business on 5 May. It does not focus on those allegations which gave rise to subsequent media reports, nor does the section 18 review include other allegations made in an anonymous disclosure earlier this year against a senior member of IFI staff. That is already the subject of a separate independent internal investigation in IFI and in respect of which the relevant staff member remains on suspension. That investigation is entirely within the remit of IFI and neither my Department nor I have any role. I want to be clear that the statutory provisions of section 18 are very specific, connected entirely with the performance of the board and could encompass in their scope the issues raised on the Order of Business on 5 May. The focus of the review is entirely on the functioning of the board.

Separately, I would like to inform the House that IFI is preparing a strategic plan for the consideration of the Minister, which would set out the structures and resources necessary to support Inland Fisheries Ireland in delivering its key statutory role of conserving, protecting, developing and promoting Ireland’s precious inland fisheries resource.