Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 210: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he plans to wind up the cross-Border aquaculture initiative, EEIG, and to make the staff members involuntarily redundant; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Northern Ireland Executive has funds in place until 2012 to fund the Northern Ireland element, which will be lost if the organisation is wound up; if he has taken into account the fact that this valuable service to industry will be lost if this action is taken and how he plans to replace these services which are vital for job retention, job creation and seafood exports; if his further attention has been drawn to the fact that the aquaculture initiative provides vital services to the mussel industry worth €35 million per annum and employing 675 persons; how he will replace these valuable services to the sector without contravening Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2003 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3156/11]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Aquaculture Initiative (CBAIT) was established in 1998 as a European Economic Interest Group (EEIG) under the European Communities (European Economic Interest Groupings) Regulations 1989 – S.I. 191 of 1989 with Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) listed as the member for Ireland. CBAIT was established for the purpose of assisting in the development of the aquaculture sector in the six counties of Northern Ireland and in the six border counties of Ireland.

Since its inception, CBAIT's operating costs were funded primarily under the PEACE Programme and its successors. That source of funding has now expired. BIM has also provided some funding to CBAIT since 2009 under both national and EU co-funded grants. The Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has committed to providing some limited funding to CBAIT until 2012 under an EU co-funded grant to cover the staff and associated costs of the Northern Ireland office of CBAIT.

In July 2010, BIM was authorised by my Department to provide funding to CBAIT on a strictly temporary basis and until the end of 2010 only, in order to allow CBAIT continue in operation while BIM examined the options for its future. Unfortunately, no workable solution has been found having regard to the constraints of employment control framework numbers and financial resources available. In the light of this my Department has in the circumstances advised BIM that no further funds from my Department's Vote or from BIM are to be expended on CBAIT and to immediately make arrangements for the orderly winding up of CBAIT.