Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My key objective, and what I work for all the time, is to support the fishing sector and fishers in every way I can, particularly when it comes to negotiations to try to get the best possible outcome for fishing allocations year to year. Obviously, as the Deputy outlined, Brexit has had a very significant impact on our fleet and other fleets across Europe but Ireland suffered more of an impact than anyone. We fought that battle as hard as we could and tried to protect the sector as best we possibly could.

On the negotiations, which I am here to discuss again, we must engage both in terms of the December Council meeting as well since Brexit in terms of working with the Commission and the Commissioner around the UK negotiations and the Norwegian negotiations to make sure that we get the best possible outcome. We have had improvements and gains in the last three years. For example, with the outcomes in the Norwegian negotiations, we have increased our blue whiting quota and restricted the access available from outside of Irish waters to fleets from outside of the European Union. That is my objective again this year.

Within the European Union each country has different percentages of stocks in terms of the share of the total viable catches, which was set in the early 1980s when the Common Fisheries Policy was established. On oversight in each country, and particularly Ireland in terms of weighing and the policing of those quotas, oversight is carried out by the SFPA. Ireland has a legal structure in terms of the role of the Minister and the SFPA. Under the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, I, as Minister, am specifically and legally precluded from becoming involved in operational matters. However, under that same Act, Deputy Collins, as a member of this Oireachtas committee, is empowered by the committee to engage directly with the SFPA and discuss those matters directly with the SFPA through the committee. Therefore, the Deputy, as a committee member, has been awarded more powers than I have under the Act in terms of engaging with the SFPA around those issues. It would be opportune, if the Deputy wishes, for him to discuss these matters directly with the SFPA through the committee.