Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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141. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will remove the governance of the Marine Institute and the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority from the marine division of his Department in order to ensure the real independence of these bodies as was intended by the House of the Oireachtas when granting them statutory status. [21183/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The marine related policy functions which fall under the aegis of this Department are managed in accordance with relevant applicable legislation. The Marine Agencies Governance Unit, located within the Sea Fisheries Policy & Management Division of my Department, is responsible for corporate governance oversight of the Marine Institute (MI) and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA).

The oversight role of the Department in this respect is to ensure that each of the marine agencies is and remains compliant with the revised code of practice for the Governance of state bodies (2016). It has no function in relation to operational matters. I am satisfied that the issue of any lack of operational independence for the marine agencies in question does not arise.