Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his attendance. It is a pleasure to see him. I have a few questions about the conservation status of stock. He indicated that it is under considerable stress. Some rivers are entirely closed because of a lack of stock. Can the Minister give us a picture of the salmon stock status and the direction of progress? Is it getting worse? Are more rivers being closed? Where exactly do we stand in respect of protecting the species?

How will new salmon licence charges relate in everyday terms to people who may be using them, for example, the proportion of the value of the catch that the fee will represent or the charge in respect of a person who is seeking to take out a licence on a river where it is open to angling?