Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his very comprehensive statement. Calling a spade a spade, we are speaking into a vacuum and we are taking a shot in the dark here because we know that nothing can be agreed until everything is agreed, and the allowable catch or the quotas cannot be agreed until we know where we are on Brexit. So the brief questions that I have are more Brexit-related because I am aware that the Minister cannot and will not be able to negotiate the quotas until he knows where he stands on that issue.

Irrespective of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, and thinking about the Minister's own neck of the woods, for example, let us say that two trawlers leave the Foyle Estuary, one registered in the Republic of Ireland, and the other registered in the UK, and depending on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations they will head in different directions and there will be limitations as to where they can both fish. Under the Irish protocol, when these trawlers return with their catch, can the Minister see consequences for markets, given that one is UK registered and is landing in Derry, and the other is Irish registered and is landing in Killybegs? Irrespective of where the trawlers get their catch, what consequences does the Minister for foresee for the markets under the proposed Irish protocol? How might those Northern Ireland based, UK registered trawlers have an input in our market going forward?

My other question concerns the statistics on the stocks that are under pressure. I know that it might be too soon to tell, but based on the six to eight months of almost no activity that we have had due to Covid-19, could that inactivity have had a noticeable effect on the stocks that were previously under pressure? As the stocks have not been fished as heavily as they would in other years, would they have had opportunity to increase and multiply, or would the effect of the inactivity be so small that it is insignificant and not noticeable? Could the fact that some of the stocks have had a chance to increase change the figures when it comes to negotiating the total allowable catch?