Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has a picture in his mind's eye of what the fishing industry was like quite a while ago, but as a consequence of membership of the European Union - free movement of goods, services, etc. - that picture is far different today. In terms of what we had under voisinage, if people met the requirements to register their boat here, and we are not all in agreement about the image the Deputy portrays of the small man fishing in Castletownbere, Dingle, Rossaveal or anywhere else in between, they could go to Northern Ireland. Also, as existed in practice up to 27 November last year, in respect of the registration of boats in Northern Ireland to the satisfaction of the Northern Ireland authorities, they could equally come South. The current position, arising from the Supreme Court ruling, is that those boats in the North can no longer come South, but we still enjoy the privilege of voisinagein respect of our entitlement to go North.

In the context of an all-island approach, and one of the Supreme Court judges made reference to this, it seemed to be a practical move to have this all-island approach to fisheries under voisinage. Notwithstanding the evolution of the size and shape of the fishing industry over the years, if someone had to meet a certain criteria to be registered in Northern Ireland, and in the South, we would extend to them on a reciprocal basis the privileges we enjoy, and still enjoy, under voisinagein Northern Ireland. That was the purpose of it. I felt an all-island, inclusive approach to matters, which I thought the Senator might share-----