Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Just in case there is any doubt, there is an extremely strong commitment to this industry by the Government parties. We are preparing meticulously for the negotiations. My experience in Europe, which is limited, is that one has to make one's case on the basis of science rather than on the basis of emotion, but also on the basis of the social and economic consequences of decisions, and that is factored into the new Common Fisheries Policy. We will use all those arguments.

There were a few questions from Deputy Pringle which I did not answer. In terms of the science on which we will spend money, the Marine Institute is very much a part of working with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Some of our key personalities, including Mr. Paul Connolly is very much part of the ICES structure. By doing more research through the Marine Institute, we will provide credible information that we hope will be the basis of decisions, and we have more money than ever before to do that. Likewise, we should have a strong fund to support fishermen and industries to adapt to new realities. We will be signing off in the next few weeks on how we are going to spend that money.

On the regional discard bans, we want this to be effectively protected by EU legislation. We do not want Ireland to have to implement national legislation on foreign fleets that are almost impossible to police. Whatever rules Irish fishermen have to accept in Irish or European waters must also apply to everybody else fishing in those fisheries. That should be imposed at EU level even though it is managed at national level. If we cannot agree a discards ban, the issue goes back to the Commission to be imposed. It is very much in the vested interest of regional management entities to get the job done. In fact, we will be chairing it for the first six months of next year and will work hard to get a sensible practical job done in terms of the implementation of an obligation to land in the white fish and mussel fisheries.