Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 45: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the reason there are no figures available for the numbers of people employed in the seafood processing industry for the years 2001 to 2004; the way he plans to develop a seafood strategy without any hard data for seafood production and employment in those years; the directions given to his Department and the marine agencies such as BIM on establishing statistical data on the seafood sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26639/06]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) maintains a comprehensive set of annual data on aquaculture production, domestic seafood sales, seafood exports and imports. A census of employment in all seafood processing and marketing companies generated comprehensive data on this sector for the years 2000 and 2005. A specific database is maintained on all client companies in this sector on which data, including employment numbers, is regularly updated thereby allowing for estimates to be produced.

Council Regulation (EC) No. 1543/2000 of 29 June 2000 establishing a Community framework for the collection and management of the data needed to conduct the common fisheries policy came into force on 1 January 2004 in respect of the fishing fleet and 1 January 2006 in respect of the processing sector. The collection of data as provided for in the above Regulation is being undertaken by BIM in respect of employment in the fisheries sector. I will make available to the Deputy a detailed compendium of statistics on the seafood sector as provided for by BIM.

This data will be made available to the 3-man Strategy Group that I recently appointed to oversee the development of a new seafood strategy to take the industry forward.