Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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118. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which the number of persons employed in the fishing industry continues to be monitored, with a view to maximising employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19143/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department and Bord Iascaigh Mhara continue to monitor employment in the seafood industry through CSO statistics and other information gathered by BIM in the course of their work with the industry. On 27 March 2015, I announced plans for a new €241 million development programme for the seafood sector for the period up to 2020, co-funded by the EU through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

Our Seafood sector is worth in the region of €850 million annually to our economy, with exports growing by 70% since 2009 to €540 million. Seafood is widely recognised as a high growth area of our economy. Through Food Harvest 2020 and this new Seafood Development Programme, I am targeting growth of the seafood industry to €1 billion by 2020, with growth in employment of 3,000 to 14,000 people employed in our coastal communities. The new Seafood Development Programme will be a key element in achievement of that growth target. It will provide the capital to assist seafood enterprises to sustainably grow their production, add value to our seafood exports and create much needed employment in our coastal communities.