Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for being here today. I am a Cavan-Monaghan Deputy and I am totally landlocked, so I have found this discussion very insightful.

We are all very aware that for a very long time there have been huge restrictions on fishermen right across the country. It is our job in this committee to focus on making rural communities viable. If we have to use positive discrimination, that is what we will do to ensure the survival of fishermen. There are very few supports for self-employed people, and we are aware of that across the board. We must do what we can to help businesses survive. Survival is the new success when we consider what people have gone through over the past number of years.

In terms of legislators, and with Brexit looming, what should we be doing? Are there opportunities in terms of the negotiations? I ask the witnesses to lay out any opportunities they see today because perhaps there is something positive that we can do.