Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Keatinge for his presentation. The content and principle of what is in this document is good stuff.

However, in order to activate it, one needs to have the funding required to deliver it. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív outlined a breakdown of what is available. Unfortunately, it is so minuscule that it will not have a discernible effect. I live only a couple of miles from the coastal community of Fenit where BIM representatives held a meeting with local fishermen and, unfortunately, nobody bought into it. I will, however, go back and try again, but if we do not have the funding required to get fishermen to buy into it, it will not work.

On the management plans for local areas, there is much that could be done if one had adequate funding. Every day fishermen are out with 500 to 600 pots fishing for lobster and crayfish. The wages of some of these fishermen's might be €50 a day, despite working from 4 a.m. until 8 p.m. or 10 p.m. Depending on price, they might have a good week. They are, however, hostage to buyers who set the price at any given point to suit their agenda. I have always argued that if one had the facility to store crabs, crayfish and lobsters and sell them at the optimum price, as happens at Easter and Christmas, one could, in a co-operative way, retain them and get their real value. Bord Iascaigh Mhara spoke about the lack of added value. With FLAGs, if funds were available, some of them could be used to create a market, both internationally and nationally. The processing side has been spoken about. Most of the fish caught are exported, which is sad. It was stated we were importing 60% of what we consumed. That reflects the fact that there is no forward planning. If there was any understanding by the Government, irrespective of who was in government, of how beneficial this could be and the knock-on effect to sustain and keep the necessary social balance in local communities, it would be money well spent, but the amount provided to be divided along the entire coastline of the Twenty-six Counties will not make a discernible difference. I would, however, like to see the project working and will co-operate and help in any way I can in a personal capacity. I will work with BIM to see can we advance it.

I come from Kerry, a coastal county. When one travels from Lauragh to Tarbert, one notes the number of people who have left coastal communities areas because there is no viable income to be earned from farming or fishing because they have been neglected and betrayed by the political class which has abandoned them. We need to do something to reverse this. All BIM can do is work with what it has. The plan which, in principle, offers many opportunities has nothing to offer because the funding required is not available.