THE Government's report of fishing vessel safety has been criticised by the Donegal fisheries researcher, Ms Joan McGinley, who initiated the original campaign to improve search and rescue on the western seaboard.
The report, which was presented to the Minister for the Marine, Mr Barrett, last week, reflects a "culture of no blame", which will ensure that there is little if any change, she said yesterday. The report has drawn up a £40 million package of recommendations designed to improve safety, in the wake of 18 fishing deaths last year.
Praising many aspects of the report, Ms McGinley described as "admirable" the recommendation that all personnel on board fishing vessels undergo basic training, and that all vessels over 25 years old be surveyed every two years. However, many of the proposals were unrealistic, she said, and the report had avoided identifying the root cause of the problem.
"Why has the Department of the Marine not been able to survey vessels?" she asked.
She also asked why it had failed to enforce recommendations made in the report on search and rescue by the former Garda commissioner, Mr Eamon Doherty, in 1991, although that report was accepted in full by the government of the day.
Who has not been surveying in vessels. Who has failed to put resources into this? Who has failed to implement adequate, training programmes for crew? she asked.
The blame Ia with state agencies which were in turn answerable to the "political masters", she said. Administrative failure to ensure even basic compliance with outdated legislation had contributed to the rundown state of the Irish fishing fleet.
Most significantly, the issue of funding the recommendations had not been addressed fully, she said. While the Government is to seek 75 per cent EU funding for its measures, matching it with 25, per cent, other measures must be financed largely by the industry, with 45 per cent anticipated from Europe and 5 per cent from the Exchequer.
This was "some State vote of confidence" in the industry, she said.
The report was compiled with the participation of fishing industry representatives, following the establishment of the safety review group by Mr Barrett last January. The Minister gave no specific commitment during last week's presentation by the group chairman, Mr Donal O'Mahony, but said he would give it "full and urgent consideration".
