Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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273. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if Inland Fisheries Ireland intends to close the only office it has remaining in County Roscommon and amalgamate the Roscommon office with the Athlone office and, resultantly, move the inspector with responsibility for servicing County Roscommon to the Athlone office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2460/17]

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is currently reviewing its property portfolio on a national basis.  This review is part of IFI’s on-going rationalisation programme which commenced with stream-lining of properties in Dublin to facilitate a more focussed national management and response capability. This element has already seen IFI exit expensive property leases and move to new HQ facilities with significantly better energy efficiency, consistent with Government commitments as regards reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption.  The exit from expensive leases and improved building efficiencies are expected to generate significant financial savings.  From an operational perspective the inventory of IFI properties will facilitate consideration of broader rationalisation proposals in regional areas.

IFI have, thus far, developed an inventory of its property and intends to set out proposals on facility rationalisation within River Basin Districts (RBDs) to augment operational and deployment efficiencies.  IFI does not currently have a base in Athlone and no consideration has yet been given to base locations in the Shannon RBD.  In that regard, I would be happy to ask IFI to keep the Deputy advised of developments, however, at this stage, the position asserted by the Deputy is premature.

IFI advise that the geographical management structure for Inland Fisheries has long been based on River Basin Districts (RBD) rather than Counties.  In delivering its core functions, IFI adapts development, protection and environmental / conservation practices to maximise the return on state investment in policing, conserving and developing the resource.  IFI adopts a wide-ranging protection strategy and delivers an associated broad protection programme across the entire Shannon RBD.

Based on this model of protection, IFI’s aim in property rationalisation proposals will seek to augment the critical scale of bases and response and deployment capability in the changing and developing circumstances and environment in which services are delivered.  It is also intended to continue to develop best value for public funds in service delivery.

The IFI offices in Ballinlough and Roscommon are resources within the Shannon RBD which assist in covering a significant catchment from Westmeath, East Galway, Roscommon and Longford. These operate effectively with a compliment of 4 Officers, reporting to a locally based Inspector.

IFI has input a significant protection and development resource into this catchment including day and night surveillance operations, boat, kayak and foot patrols, monitoring of water quality and planning developments, survey work, infrastructural projects and promotional assistance including the recently launched production “Along by the River: Discover the River Suck”.

Protection and other works are carried out on an RBD-wide basis and Officers stationed in other catchments of the Shannon RBD have participated in protection actions in the Roscommon area.  In 2016, in excess of 5,000 person hours were provided to patrols and a further 193 person hours in assistance during the emergency flooding events, more than 100 boat patrols, 300 vehicle patrols resulting in over 3,000 angler inspections, seizures of nets and five prosecutions initiated.  38 rivers were assessed for development and five major angling development projects commenced.

I am also advised that the Midlands Fisheries Fund scheme has resulted in development projects in the Castlecoote, Donamon, Lough Acalla, Lough Loung, Blacks Lough and River Suck areas since 2013.  IFI were also a partner in the biodiversity looped walk project on Lough O’Flynn and contributes towards fish stocking.

These catchments have been and will remain a high priority for IFI who will continue to protect, develop, conserve, manage and promote the fisheries to benefit the angling resource and local communities.