Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I join Senator Moran in welcoming the funding that has been made available for the schoolbooks scheme in primary schools. It is a very practical way of supporting parents and children in schools and reducing the cost of schoolbooks and the cost of going to school. More importantly, it introduces efficiency. We have long complained about the waste of schoolbooks and the number of schoolbooks that cannot be recycled and so on. Because both new schools and existing schools will benefit from the money being made available I trust that those schools with an existing scheme will endeavour to assist those schools, if required, in setting up new schemes so that best practice can be followed by those schools.

I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and Marine, which has been discussing this week the problems facing fishermen who specialise in shellfish and who lost pots during the recent storms. We have been talking to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine about improving the compensation scheme that was put in place. There are various problems with the scheme, not least that the number of pots fishermen are allowed to seek is quite low and the need for receipts, which are very difficult to produce, particularly for pots that have been in their possession for a long time. Some of these fishermen are struggling after some months. While the compensation scheme is welcome, it needs some improvement. Perhaps we could also raise the matter with the Minister in this House because while a small number of fishermen are involved, for them it is their livelihood. Some of them are unable to go out and fish and because they have no cashflow they are unable to buy any replacement pots. If they could do that they would get the compensation returned to them, but they have no cash in their pockets to do so. Thus, the scheme is welcome but it is flawed. It would be good to have a debate on it.