Mr. Michael Keatinge:

The direct answer to the Deputy's first question concerns the delay in establishing the FLAGs. I admit that there certainly was a delay. It must, however, be remembered that while the programme was nominally for 2007, the European Fisheries Fund's n+2 rule effectively meant that it did not get going until 2009. The current programme we are dealing with is the 2014 to 2020 programme, which was not agreed by the Council until the middle of 2014, and which nobody has implemented. That is unfortunately just way the things are. It is not an Irish issue but an EU one.