Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am not a full-time member of the committee but I am very pleased to have listened to the presentations from the inshore fishers. I live in Castletownbere and I have already heard in the west Cork area much of what the witnesses stated. I support Deputy Ferris's proposal to ask the Minister and the Department to re-evaluate the situation, initially, as Deputy Ó Cuív stated, and how to maximise compensation to those entitled to it within the very narrow confines of the scheme. I was very disappointed when I heard last weekend of the poor take-up of the scheme. I could not believe it even though I knew some fishermen were not affected and could not qualify because they had not lost gear as they had taken it in and stowed it. Many others had lost far more gear than would have been covered by the maximum amount of compensation allowed under the scheme.

I have become aware that some people missed the deadline. I sent out an application form to a fisherman yesterday in the vain hope if he sent it back it might be considered. Perhaps the Department might examine this. Perhaps there are people out there who missed the deadline. It was advertised on the BIM website and in publications but people were not contacted directly by the Department. Some people may have missed out through no fault of their own.

Many of the presentations were very strong on some of the long-term issues regarding sustainable fishing and trying to make a living, particularly for the inshore fleet. Almost 80% of our entire register is under 15 m and it is fragmented. We must be honest about this. It is very difficult to get a cohesive inshore fleet message from Carlingford around to Fanad in the Republic. It is very difficult to have one voice. We have been trying, and the Chairman has done tremendous work on the report in which it was identified as a big problem. It is an issue for the industry but it should also be addressed by the authorities with the assistance of the industry. Freedom of association is enshrined in the Constitution, and people can make whatever associations they wish, but issues such as this need focus.

We hear about climate change and we must assume the events we had this winter will become more and more prevalent. Deputy Ó Cuív mentioned the 1991 scheme. Perhaps in ten years' time we will be discussing another big blow after which people will be left without an income for three months. This is not desirable. We must have a built-in system so compensation or an alleviation measure for the fleet does not come down to the whims of a particular Minister, Department, official or policy. This touches on what Deputy Pringle spoke about, which is a lack of understanding. Many people who do not understand will state the industry is here again whining, cribbing and moaning like farmers looking for something. I can almost guarantee this is true of some people watching and some of those on social media. It is not understood that if one is not fishing, catching or landing one is not earning but spending. One receives no compensation, no single farm payment and no monthly cheque. On top of this, because the vast majority are self-employed they have no entitlement to social protection. This is not very well understood. The committee has tried to highlight it but it cannot be emphasised enough. I want to take this opportunity to hammer home the point. Families have not seen one cent of income for two or three months because they are weather-bound.

That must be emphasised.

There are other issues for debate in a broader scheme, such as days at sea, how one can manage a fishery or how one can manage timings, opening and closing seasons and the like. That is possibly a debate for another day, but it is inevitable and must happen. In times when there are challenging quotas, for example, and I realise that is more related to the offshore sector, or quotas are diminishing or where, at best, the price has been the same as it was 20 years ago for landing the same fish, we must look at a greater value for that catch or added value. Bringing it to the market in a more sophisticated way might help, but again that is a debate for another day.

With regard to the terms of this particular scheme, it is well worth referring back to the Minister on whether he can increase the envelope. I know some fishermen who have lost hundreds of pots. It is far more than the €2,500 compensation package would deliver. This is only the thin end of a much larger debate for the entire fishing sector, not just the inshore sector but all the different sectors in the industry. It does not get the same air time or attention as other industries and that has been detrimental to the industry. However, in the inshore sector one is depending on a group from within one's own 20 or 30 mile radius to form an association, so it is difficult.

I welcome further debate on it and further suggestions on how this scheme could be addressed.