Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)

I shall refer to it. It points out that while acknowledging that the Department, under European Council Regulation No. 2371/2002, is of the opinion that the lost at sea scheme cannot be revisited, the Ombudsman's office considers that it did not address the central issue which is that the scheme was seriously deficient and flawed as outlined in previous correspondence to the Department. Accordingly, the office has reverted to the Department requesting that it outline how it proposes to address this issue.

The lost at sea scheme was introduced, as the Minister of State noted, to get people back fishing who had lost their boats. It was abused and in the Ombudsman's words, was "seriously deficient and flawed". I am led to believe the Ombudsman's report will be brought to the House next week with a recommendation that one family which was refused entry into the scheme would have to be compensated. The point is that 62 other applicants were refused. This is what I am trying to find out and that was why I posed the question as I did, to receive an answer from the Minister of State.

Has the Minister of State looked at the financial repercussions that may be present for the taxpayer and the State? Has he discussed this with his Departmental colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Trevor Sargent, who lodged a complaint with the Standards in Public Office Commission regarding the handling by former Ministers of the scheme? Does the Minister of State, Deputy Sargent, still consider that Deputy Fahey's handling of the scheme is worthy of complaint?

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