Mr. Éamon Ó Corcora:

Tá mé anseo thar ceann Iascairí Intíre Cois Cladach na hÉireann. Caithfidh mé a rá ar an gcéad dul síos go rabhamar ceangailte cois falla ar feadh 87 laethanta gan bheith in ann dul ag iascaireacht agus gan aon airgead ag teacht isteach chugainn. Chaill cuid de na hiascairí a gcuid gléas iascaigh, agus déanadh damáiste do na báid agus a leithéid, gan aon chabhair nó tacaíocht ón Rialtas nó ón Aire. N'fheadar, faraoir géar, cén spéis atá acu sa tionscal in aon chor. Is í sin an cheist. Is ceist an-mhór í. Caithfidh mé a rá go raibh an scéim cúiteamh a cuireadh ar fáil amaideach. Bhí sé curtha le chéile ag daoine nach raibh aon spéis acu sa tionscal. Baineann na fadhbanna seo ní hamháin leis na hiascairí ach freisin le cúrsaí eacnamaíochta na pobail cois cósta, na háiteanna Gaeltachta, na leithinsí agus na hoileáin. Dá bhrí sin, níl aon ní ag teacht ar ais ó thaobh cúrsaí cánach an Rialtais, srl. I ndeireadh an lae, caithfidh mé a rá go bhfuil fíordhíomá orainn. Níor fhacamar a leithéid de dhrochaimsir inár saol riamh. Tá súil againn nach chífimid go deo arís é ach an oiread.

From 27 November 2013, for 87 days many fishing vessels and smaller boats of 10 m and under have been tied up and cannot get to sea. As well as that, the recent storms caused loss of fishing gear, as well as damage to boats and equipment. Unfortunately, there is a lack of Government support to deal with this issue. One wonders how much interest it has for the 4,500 people involved in the inshore fisheries sector. We have been here before and I am afraid matters have got worse since then.

For many of these vessels, they have a high level of debt because they need to purchase new gear. Not being able to fish means a loss to the local economy of the costal and rural communities, particularly in islands and Gaeltacht areas. For many of them, there is no other infrastructure or industry, barring fishing, small farming and seasonal tourism that lasts up to six weeks. The loss of revenue to the Exchequer will be significant. There is no income to sustain households, purchase new fishing gear, make repairs to boats, purchase new safety equipment or purchase goods in the local economy. There is also no access to social welfare for fishermen. We made a submission on that last June.

The Government compensation scheme was not suitable for most fishermen. I have been fishing for 34 years and know we are all under serious pressure. Deputies and Senators from coastal communities are aware of this. Why was no EU support requested? Cornish fishermen got an average of £6,000 each, the equivalent of €10,000. In 1991, the then Minister, Michael Woods, introduced a scheme to assist fishermen with European backing. It is often preached to us that we are all Europeans. Is it, however, that we are Europeans when it suits us and not when there is another agenda?

Up to 75% of the Irish fleet is under 10 m. Do we want the 4,500 fishermen involved to go out of business? The Government has been able to support farmers, a good development, in small rural communities. The scheme whereby the fisherman has to pay for fishing gear upfront and then get a poor enough compensation afterwards is not working. The gear companies will not supply fishermen if they believe they will not be able to pay them back. Fishermen are strapped to the hilt and cannot get bank loans easily due to limited access to credit. There is no debt write-down for the likes of us.

There should be adequate financial support for this sector from both the Exchequer and the EU. Fully licensed and compliant fishermen should receive across-the-board compensation. There should also be future-proofing against events like this. A fund should be established to assist people affected by adverse weather events. This is not just a few fishermen with the hand out looking for something. This is about coastal communities and the people of rural Ireland.

If a proper compensation scheme were introduced for the recent bad weather, it would allow fishermen - small and medium-sized enterprises which the Government has been warned to support - to return to fishing and earn an income to support them and their hard-pressed families. Fishermen spend locally since they do not have time to go to the other side of the world for their holidays, thereby boosting the local economy. A scheme would allow them to purchase new fishing gear and new safety equipment such as EPIRBs, emergency position-indicating radio beacon, necessary due to changes in the rules. Many of us who have had to replace them did so at a cost of €600 last year. This safety equipment is necessary and I welcome it on vessels.

I would never say it was overdone but it is hard to come back to the same people year after year and ask them to put their hands in their pockets again while they earn less and less. Insurance costs €3,000 for a small boat. It is an awful kick in the face at the start of the year. This inadequate compensation fund would help to clear the debt burden. Many of us owe money from last year and, in turn, the fund would increase the tax revenue for the State. If all this was done, everybody would be happy and give it the thumbs up.