Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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293. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 77 of 11 February 2015, the way the expenditure for aquaculture under the Seafood Development Programme 2007 to 2013 achieved any value for money in view of the decline in production during the same period, the minimal direct employment created, the increasing public concern regarding the damage to the environment caused by this industry and the far greater benefit that would have accrued to our coastal communities if the funding had been made available to the tourism and angling sectors. [10562/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As set out in response to Question No. 77 of 11 February, 2015 ex-post evaluation of the Seafood Development Programme 2007-2013 is by law a matter for the European Commission

The amount of investment in aquaculture under the Programme was modest, so no radical change in the sector was to be expected as a result. However, Bord Iascaigh Mhara advise me that t he value of the sector held steady over the period, as did the overall employment. While production volumes of some species fluctuated over the period, there are many reasons for this, including in particular adverse weather events and fish diseases. I understand that production volumes are now growing again and activity levels in the sector are increasing, driven by strong demand for the products from our processing industry and from export markets.

All significant measures to be included in the new Seafood Development Programme 2014-2020 will be subject to ongoing economic evaluation in line with the requirements of EU law and the Public Spending Code.