Written answers

Wednesday, 11 February 2015

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Value for Money Reviews

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

70. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the independent value for money assessments his Department has scrutinised, in order to sanction the co-funding for the operational programme for fisheries and aquaculture, in view of the limited employment created by aquaculture, in comparison to the tourism and angling industries. [6247/15]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department is presently finalising a new Seafood Development Programme 2014-2020 under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Regulation (508/2014). I will be publishing a detailed consultation document and Strategic Environmental Assessment for public consultation in the next month or so, with a view to submitting the new Programme to the Commission by May this year for its consideration and adoption. As required by the EMFF Regulation, an independent ex-ante evaluation is being conducted by consultants on behalf of my Department. That evaluation is still ongoing and the consultants’ report will be published in due course. In addition the Programme document itself will set out details of arrangements to subject expenditure programmes to ongoing evaluation in accordance with the Public Spending Code published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

Co-funding of the Programme by the Exchequer is a pre-requisite for availing of the €147.6 million EMFF funds allocated to Ireland. The EMFF funds are allocated by the Commission in accordance with the five envelopes identified in article 13 of the EMFF Regulation. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has sanctioned in total €93.9 million in Exchequer co-funding for the Programme and this was similarly allocated on the basis of those five envelopes. Funding for aquaculture is not separately identified in that process.

The sustainable development of aquaculture is part of the Common Fisheries Policy and the EMFF is specifically intended to support that policy. When I publish the consultation draft of the Programme shortly, my proposals on how the funds should be best used in the national interest and in the interests of the seafood industry as a whole will become clear. I will welcome all views at that point on the extent to which our resources should be directed towards aquaculture development. The Deputy may also wish to note that projects relating to tourism and angling may potentially benefit under the Programme.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.