Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will take the Deputy's final point first. On the €5 million allocated to the Marine Institute for data collection, we are reallocating some of the unspent funds from other sections to rectify what could be called an anomaly, or the situation whereby it was previously paid a year retrospectively. We are using that €5 million to bring it into line to ensure that it is paid in the year when it falls due. I addressed that point earlier.

On supports for the fisheries sector, as the Deputy is aware, the fleet tie-up scheme is in place until the end of this year. Some of the savings that I have identified are going specifically towards supporting fishermen in that sector, and in the whitefish sector, in particular. It has been a really important scheme for supporting fishermen over the course of this autumn. The introduction of the scheme was one of the first recommendations of the task force which I have brought forward and implemented. It has been widely welcomed by those who have availed of it and take-up has been very strong. It has been an important support. As the Deputy is aware, the seafood sector task force was made up of fishers' representatives. I brought the representatives together, as those who are in the sector and who make their livelihoods from the sector, to advise on the challenging outcome of Brexit and to advise the Government as to how we can best support and invest in their livelihoods, and how we can best battle on their behalf at European level in the years ahead. There will be significant funding under the Brexit adjustment reserve to support the sector through that, and importantly so.

Otherwise, on the smaller savings that we are making, when a Department has an annual budget of €1.9 billion and in addition, €1.2 billion in direct payments which it administers, some changes always will be made in respect of what is profiled at the start of the year as the year progresses and life happens. It happens in every walk of life and every profession. In a Department with almost €2 billion of spending, you will see things that do not quite work out as profiled. That is why it is important to redirect and manage the Vote, and to involve the committee members in accounting for why that is happening. On the reprofiling of funds, some of it is going directly to fishers through the tie-up scheme.