Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I fully understand the challenges that the revocation of our control plan represents for the sector, particularly the white fish sector, which are very difficult indeed. The committee had a thorough discussion on this with the SFPA earlier in the week. Operational matters relating to weighing coming under its remit, not mine as Minister. Legally I am precluded from being involved in operational matters, and as an Oireachtas Member, Deputy Mac Lochlainn will understand that. We are in this situation because of the findings of he audit and administrative inquiry carried out by the Commission. That is the reality we must deal with and on which I am engaged with them. A legal process is ongoing on that, in which I am representing ourselves as a member state, and defending and representing our position. That is ongoing. It does not take away from the fact that fisheries is massively regulated, as we all know. I sat on this committee for four years and had many engagements on this. Being from a fisheries county, the same as Deputy Mac Lochlainn, and being closely in contact with fishers throughout my political career, I know how regulated the industry is. That is the situation in Ireland as it is in member states where the Common Fisheries Policy applies. There are quotas for every species, they have to be weighed and monitored. which involves significant red tape and imposes a large administrative burden on those operating in the industry.

We find ourselves in a very challenging position as a member state under the Common Fisheries Policy. As a result of the administrative inquiry, despite the regulation we have in place, the Commission found that operators did not have in place a weighing system that was fit for purpose. Consequently it found the control plan did not minimise the risk of systematic manipulation of weighing so it did not have confidence that it was sufficiently robust to be fully effective. That is what the Commission has found and that is what we have to deal with in the revocation of the control plan and ensuring a new control plan is put in place, which the SFPA will be in charge of, that addresses the Commission's findings in its administrative inquiry. That is the situation we are in. It is really challenging and very difficult. There are other aspects to the administrative inquiry findings such as the potential for repayment of fish, which is currently part of the legal process and which I am defending on behalf of Ireland. This is the situation I have to deal with and the sector must deal with as well because that is the reality of the Commission's findings.