Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms McCarthy for her presentation. I will start with Brexit, which will probably be the burning issue for the next three or four years. It has two aspects in this regard, one of which is access to fishing waters in terms of the allocation of quota and so on. There has been a great deal of talk about a hard Brexit, but the UK's fishing industry will still have to access waters outside its own. A hard Brexit has the potential to have a negative impact on its industry and, similarly, ours. A Norwegian arrangement is likely, whereby there are negotiations every year and a quota sharing arrangement is place. Is this Ms McCarthy's view of what will happen post a hard, soft or middle Brexit? There would have to be some sort of negotiation. Can that arrangement exist without access to the Common Market? The EU negotiates with Iceland and the Faroes on access to resources, albeit not successfully.

The second aspect relates to the import and export of fishery products. We export €71 million worth of fish to the UK annually, approximately 8% of our fisheries exports. It is not very significant, although it is significant in value terms. We import €148 million worth of fish from the UK. Regardless of whether there is a hard or soft Brexit, there should be a potential for our fisheries sector. Has BIM considered this aspect in terms of offsetting some of the €148 million in imports and how we might go about gearing up our indigenous industry to benefit?

What is BIM's assessment of the landing obligation in respect of whitefish? The obligation is only starting to be rolled out, but how is it progressing, what are the likely challenges and how will they be addressed?

Has there been much industry engagement with the SDC in Clonakilty and the Letterkenny Institute of Technology, LYIT, campus in Killybegs? How can they develop and what is their potential? This initiative relies a great deal on the industry engaging.

How is the National Inshore Fisheries Forum going? Many of these bodies are fairly new. How is the forum developing, how are inshore fishermen engaging with it and what is its potential?

In respect of the FLAGs, while the funding is an increase on the first tranche at €1.5 million, we were extremely slow to develop fisheries local action groups, FLAGs, and only got in at the tail end of the last common fisheries fund. How does the €12 million compare with other member states and how their FLAGs are operating? From what I see, many other states are better geared up to avail of that funding and develop it. The FLAGs are to facilitate people who have moved out of fishing to develop alternatives. How much can €12 million leverage that over the period of the programme?