Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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135. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a detailed breakdown between sea angling, coarse angling and game angling in terms of the number of the general public and visitors who have taken part in these activities in each of the past five years; and if he will report on the amount of revenue generated for the Exchequer from each activity. [28342/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I can advise the Deputy that it is intended to publish, in the coming weeks, the results of the most comprehensive National survey and analysis ever undertaken of the Recreational Angling Sector.

I am advised by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), who commissioned the study, that while it is being finalised, the initial results indicate that there are 406,000 participants in angling across all species types with many targeting more than one species.

The Angling sector is generating direct revenues in excess of €500 million per annum the vast majority of which is retained in the localised communities where the activity occurs. The economic importance of the sector is underlined by the fact that it sustainably supports more than 10,000 jobs in rural and peripheral communities particularly in the West of Ireland.

I will arrange to have the completed study forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.