Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are grant aiding that. That was announced in Union Hall. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, held a joint launch to announce a grant-aid scheme for personal location devices, emergency position indicating radiobeacons, EPERB, from boats which, when they hit the water, float and send off a distress signal, and a number of other matters. One will see the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport introducing requirements on safety in the not-too-distant future.

We also introduced new training programmes for fishermen. In order to qualify for the grant aid for the equipment, they will have to do a certain amount of safety training. They will have to upskill within a certain period of time. It is not an overly onerous time commitment that they must make but they must do it. We also have a committee representing stakeholders in the sector which will report to me and has finalised work on new recommendations on marine safety for the fishing sector.

There are too many fishermen dying tragically in Irish waters and we are trying to find a way of reducing those numbers. Part of that will involve grant aid, part will involve training and part of it may involve new regulations, if such are needed.

Just as the safety culture must be improved in agriculture, we have work to do in the fishing industry. However, in terms of EPIRBs and personal location devices, the technology is now available for fishermen and it is grant-aided.