The Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, began spending his Department's share ofthe Budget in his home constituency of Galway West yesterday - £7 million (€8.9 million) towards development of the fishery harbour at Rossaveal.
The money is the first tranche in a £15 million project to improve the fishing and ferry port. More than £20 million will be spent next year on harbours overall, including major works at Killybegs, Co Donegal, and Castletownbere, Co Cork.
The Minister is flagging a 57 per cent increase on last year's Budget allocation to the marine sector, but industry representatives are disappointed at the failure of the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, to provide a marine tax allowance.
The Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation and the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation intend to press the case for an £8,000 allowance, deducted from taxable income each year, subject to a set of criteria, and similar to the seafarers' allowance provided for in the 1998 Finance Act.
"We are disgusted at the omission," Mr Jason Whooley of the Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation told The Irish Times. "The lack of awareness of the needs of coastal communities and the dangers and uncertainties of this particular occupation contradicts the Government's own policy on ways to stem rural depopulation. If there is no long-term strategy, we will lose our experienced crews and we will never get that experience back again."
The Minister will "continue to pursue the case for special treatment on taxation and social insurance measures" for fishermen. The Government's marine allocation represented "a 400 per cent increase" on the commitment shown by the Fine Gael/Labour coalition in 1996, Mr Fahey added.
Special measures include a £4 million package to ease the burden of high fuel prices and labour shortages and a £2.5 million rescue package for shellfish farmers.
Under EU law, the Government cannot give a direct fuel subsidy. But the fuel efficiency grant scheme aims to be an imaginative alternative. The scheme will be administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara. More details and applications forms are available on the website at www.bim.ie.
