Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will direct the Minister and his senior officials to pages 185 and 186 of the report and reference one recommendation in particular. It states that the points system should not result in disproportionate and severe sanctions or the permanent suspension of fishing licences. In particular, it is seen by some in the industry as an extreme measure and a double sanctioning on top of the national sanctioning system and due consideration should be given to the effectiveness of the sanctioning system. That is just one of the recommendations. The Minister can read all of them on pages 185 and 186 of the report. I totally accept that we are under pressure and that the process of complying with the regulation has taken far too long in Ireland. The reason for that, in part, is the very strange relationship between the fishing industry and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to these and other matters. We are the outlier in failing to bring in a system that is proportionate and fair. This has been done across all member states of the European Union. The fact that it has not been done here is a reflection of the strange relationship between the industry and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which we have to work on together.