Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. Ireland is a member state within the European Union and, as a country, we represent our industry and our sector. Domestically, the SFPA is the competent authority for enforcement and applying and overseeing the Common Fisheries Policy and the regulations within that. It is clear and is public knowledge that the Commission has publicly published its findings from the administrative inquiry, in particular the three or four pages indicating it has come to a conclusion around the revocation of the control plan. It has outlined that, as a result of the administrative inquiry and the audit prior to that, it did not have confidence in regard to the control systems we had in place, in particular the weighing systems. As a member state, we have to defend that and engage with the Commission on its findings. It is Ireland, as a member state, that the finding is against, as opposed to an individual fisher or the industry. Therefore, we have to respond and engage with the Commission in response to that.

The Deputy is right in regard to the impact this has on the sector, and we have seen that in regard to the administrative revocation of the control plan and the impact that has had. There has been much comment also on the potential for a repayment of fish emerging from that and for this also to be part of the outcome of the administrative inquiry of the Commission.

The administrative inquiry is a legal process under EU law whereby the Commission engages the member state directly, and that is a legal process between both. I had sought to engage with the Commission as to the possibility of being able to publish the wider documentation around that. However, the regulations in law were clear and the Commission has clearly indicated to me that it is not appropriate for me, as Minister, to publish the documents that are currently part of that legal process between Ireland, as a member state, and the European Commission. That is the situation.

I take the Deputy’s point in regard to the fact there is information out there, and he referred to a copy of the report that has been in the public domain in recent days.

That is the situation. It is certainly not something that can be condoned by anyone; it should not be happening. On the formal process between ourselves as a member state and the EU Commission, and the clear advice on the publication of the documents that are part of that as I engage with them on behalf the country, the advice and the direction is very clear from the Commission on how that operates as is the fact that information stays between the Commission and Ireland as we deal with that legal process.