John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 302: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources when a decision will be taken on the implementation of the Farrell Grant Sparks Report on Inland Fisheries; when he will take a decision on whether to scrap the report or implement it, particularly in view of the fact that he is opening new premises and announcing additional funding for said boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39920/06]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that details of the Government's policy for the restructuring of the inland fisheries sector, which is based on the recommendations contained within the report by Farrell Grant Sparks following their review of the sector, were published in November last year.

On foot of the review the Government has decided that a fundamental restructuring of the sector is required. It considered that this reform would result in a better model for the State's role in the sector, better resource management, more and better involvement of stakeholders, better corporate governance and value for money. Under Government policy the sector is to be re-organised by subsuming the existing central and regional fisheries boards into a single national inland fisheries authority (NIFA) whose executive functions will be aligned on a regional basis with the river basin districts in line with the EU Water Framework Directive. Irrespective of the overall organisational structure there will still be a need for operations to be conducted on a regional basis with local offices.

Due to competing priorities for time in the Oireachtas's legislative calendar, however, it has not proved possible to introduce the legislation required to facilitate the establishment of the new authority this year. It has therefore been decided to use the additional time available to examine how the existing seventeen pieces of legislation governing the inland fisheries sector, which date back to 1959, can be modernised and consolidated into a single statute. Officials from the Department are working with management of the fisheries boards on this exercise and it is hoped to publish the new legislation in the latter half of 2007.

FGS Consulting has also recently been re-engaged by the Department to undertake Stage II of the review. This process will involve full, transparent and comprehensive consultations with all stakeholders during which the principles and structures to deliver the new model will be fleshed out. The findings of Stage II will inform the drafting of the legislation required to establish the new authority.

The funding referred to by the Deputy was announced in the context of the fisheries boards', or any successor agency's, enforcement and protection effort during the establishment of the new management regime for the wild salmon fishery.