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

That is a fair point. Let there be no doubt but that we have take the report of the sub-committee very seriously. I have taken its recommendations seriously and I hope that is reflected in what we have announced since its publication.

For far too long the inshore sector has essentially been operating in a way that is unregulated and does not have proper representation in terms of impacting on policy and as a result has not got the political attention or priority that the sector deserves. A significant number of people are employed in the fishing industry. I hope that with the formalised structures in place it will allow us have many more discussions on policy, funding and support so that we can protect the stocks that everybody relies on as well as being able to make sensible policy decisions to allow the sector to be more profitable.