Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, to the House.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State. My question concerns enabling Inland Fisheries Ireland to increase its level of staff. Currently it is being asked to do so out of existing budgets which would mean it would have to have fewer resources in order to take on more staff. I am anxious to hear if there is a proposal whereby it could improve the present level of protection by increasing staff while holding on to existing resources.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. I thank the Senator for raising this question.

Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, is the national fisheries body which was established in July 2010 from an amalgamation of 17 separate organisations, including the former Central Fisheries Board and the seven regional fisheries boards as well as a number of fishery co-operatives. In the five-year period 2010-14, substantial Exchequer funding amounting to almost €130 million has been provided for IFI. In respect of this year, almost €24 million has been provided for IFI in my Department's 2015 Vote.

As the Senator will be aware from the recent budget day announcements, the 2016 Estimates provision for the inland fisheries sector, which encompasses Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Loughs Agency, is €27.021 million, an increase of almost €700,000 on the 2015 provision. IFI also generates its own resources in a number of ways including contract income, permit and licensing income, fishery rates and other activities. This income is an important element of the funding array available to IFI to supplement its Exchequer funding in the exercise of its day-to-day functions.

The establishment of IFI in 2010 has facilitated an improved national perspective in the formulation of an inland fisheries policy which is more streamlined, coherent and integrated. It also facilitates the achievement of efficiencies in the effective management of the inland fisheries resource. The Senator will also appreciate that the board and senior management of IFI have a key role in ensuring that the agency continues to meet its objectives towards the conservation, protection, promotion and development of the inland fisheries resource. In achieving its objectives, IFI is delivering on the imperative, common to all public bodies, to achieve efficiencies and to maintain a high level of service.

It is to their credit that IFI staff have embraced a range of changed work practices to improve operational efficiency. These include the increased use of technology and specialist vehicle and water craft patrols. These innovations underpin the imperative of ensuring the optimum deployment of available resources. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced in budget 2015 the intention to delegate greater autonomy to Departments and agencies to manage their own staffing levels. As already outlined, IFI's sanctioned number for 2015 was increased to 312. The change brought about increased flexibility for management, moving away from a particular focus on a moratorium on recruitment to one which facilitates recruitment where it is determined that this can achieve more economical service delivery.

IFI has confirmed that it is currently engaged in the recruitment process. IFI has also availed of its sanction to take on seasonal staff during the busiest time of the operational year to ensure that the key imperatives of protection, conservation, development and promotion of the valuable inland fisheries and sea angling resources are delivered. As already confirmed, in the current year, 35 seasonal staff have been recruited and for each of the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 some 32 seasonal staff were recruited to support full-time field staff.

I would also advise that earlier this year I announced the upgrade by IFI of 36 existing staff to the grade of fisheries officer. These officers were previously general operatives, a legacy of the old fisheries boards system. The new fisheries officers received training in the skills and competencies to allow them to enforce fisheries legislation, thereby protecting and conserving Ireland’s valuable inland fisheries and sea-angling resources. This initiative resulted in an 18% increase in the total number of warranted IFI officers to 231, or 77% of IFI permanent personnel.

I am keenly aware of the value of the inland fisheries resource, estimated to contribute over €830 million to the economy mainly in rural and peripheral regions, and the need to protect and conserve it. I appreciate the challenges for enforcement staff in patrolling the 74,000 km of rivers and streams, 128,000 ha of lakes and also the coast line out to the 12 mile maritime limit for recreational sea-angling, all of which fall under the jurisdiction of IFI. I also welcome the excellent job they do in protecting fish stocks and habitats for the enjoyment of all.

IFI has, since its establishment, been innovative in terms of how protection, conservation and enforcement are carried out and how staff resources are deployed. IFI staff have, as I already indicated, embraced a range of changed work practices to improve operational efficiency. In that regard the agency has employed greater and smarter use of technology such as covert CCTV cameras, body cameras, night scopes and other surveillance technologies to significantly augment coverage and increase time spent by officers on surveillance techniques which are more resource efficient.

IFI has increased the use of bicycle, quad vehicle and all-terrain vehicle patrols and of water-based patrols by kayak and personal water craft, which facilitate a significantly increased patrol range as against land-based foot patrolling within the same timeframe. The agency also, based on intelligence gathered and detailed profiling, continues to focus on known poaching hot spots. Additionally, IFI piloted a dog protection unit in 2014 and is now rolling out the programme following successful trials. Trained dogs have been used to locate illegally caught and hidden fish and nets.

The introduction of a 24-hour reporting hotline enables anglers and other members of the public to report suspicious incidents and events, facilitating IFI in quickly deploying an appropriate response. This initiative has also augmented "eyes and ears" on inland waterways. These innovations underpin the imperative of ensuring the optimum deployment of resources.

Rationalisation and efficiency building at IFI, since its establishment, has not been confined to operations in the field. On its establishment, IFI had accommodation at three locations in Swords, including leasing a headquarters building which included IFI’s research and development operations, a laboratory and a warehouse. In addition, IFI had premises in Glasnevin and Blackrock. As part of this rationalisation, and in keeping with Government policy to exit from expensive leases wherever possible, IFI exercised the break clause on the Swords headquarters when it arose and has disposed of the Glasnevin and Blackrock premises.

Inland Fisheries Ireland moved into its new headquarters in Citywest in April 2014, for which it was allocated €3 million additional once-off capital funding in 2013 to address rationalisation of its property portfolio. This will generate savings of some €700,000 per annum on rent and running costs. It is anticipated that the outlay will be recovered in a relatively short period.

IFI recently identified suitable premises near its headquarters in Citywest to house its warehousing, laboratory and archiving facilities. The cost of this facility has been met from Inland Fisheries Ireland’s own resources and this project continues with the policy of exiting from expensive long-term leases and the rationalisation of operations. Aside from the strategy benefit of co-locating this facility with the new headquarters from a response capability perspective, further savings are anticipated both in financial terms and in staff time.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply and for taking the time to come to the House. I had a number of queries on this matter. It is curious that, while we were being lambasted for decentralisation, Citywest was chosen as the headquarters for Inland Fisheries Ireland. I am sure County Donegal or County Kerry would have been a more suitable location for a headquarters, and possibly a lot cheaper. Maybe the next time a body is thinking about where to locate the headquarters for an organisation that is, in the main, rural, somewhere other than an industrial estate in Citywest might be considered.