Written answers

Thursday, 14 December 2017

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Marine Institute

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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557. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has confidence in the Marine Institute after it issued a statement on 8 December 2017 in relation to the viral disease he identified in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 49 of 8 November 2017 (details supplied). [53694/17]

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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558. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will instruct the Marine Institute to issue a correction of equal prominence to its erroneous statement on 8 December 2017 claiming that only salmon contract cardiomyopathy and inform the public of the highly transmissible nature of the cardiomyopathy virus as made clear in peer reviewed published research. [53695/17]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 557 and 558 together.

The Marine Institute advises my Department on scientific matters associated with aquaculture regulation. My Department has been advised by the Institute that the scientific publication referred to by the Deputy is not at variance with the Statement issued by the Institute on 8 December concerning salmon losses at Connemara fish farms.

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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559. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he plans to take to ensure that the Marine Institute is properly staffed to guarantee that information provided to the public is scientifically accurate. [53696/17]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Following the lifting of the moratorium on recruitment by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in 2015, the Marine Institute has delegated sanction in relation to recruitment within the parameters of its core pay vote. In 2017, my Department provided a total of €31.563m in exchequer funding to the institute which included €7.8m for current pay costs. The figure for 2018 is currently being finalised.

I am confident that the institute is properly resourced and doing an excellent job in providing scientifically accurate information to the public.

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