Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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My questions are based on the Minister's opening statement. He said these past few years have been particularly challenging for our fishing industry. In addition to the continuing fuel crisis, the impacts of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and the quota transfers under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement are still having a very negative effect. These are the Minister's words but what has the Government done to provide our fishermen with a fuel subsidy? The French and the Spanish fishermen have received fuel subsidies from their governments. Why has this Government stood back and not done the same for our fishermen? This Government has given away to foreign fleets the rights of our fishermen to fish in Irish waters. You would think the Minister and the extremist Green Party would at least have given a fuel subsidy to our fishermen.

I was at the recent Irish South & West Fish Producers Organisation AGM. It was good hear the head of the organisation, Pat Murphy, put his case. The members are the people at sea. They know exactly what is going on. They ask about things like the recent announcement giving some people a bit of help with their energy bills, whether it is businesses or ordinary individuals. Fishermen also have energy bills. Was there anything in the budget for them? Recently I was speaking on the Finance Bill and I asked the Minister the same question in relation to fishing. What was the delivery for fishing in the budget? I see zilch. Fishermen have severe energy costs and they are asking me anything can be done about these costs. The Spanish and the French are getting a subsidy so why are the Irish not getting it? All we get is the decommissioning and the tie-up schemes. I was totally opposed to them, as was the Irish south west organisation, but still, unfortunately, fishermen in south-west Cork and other areas are saying it is the only way out now of a sad situation.

The Minister said the waters surrounding Ireland contain some of the most productive fishing grounds in the EU, that we have a duty of care and a national self-interest to protect their biological riches and, as such, they must be managed responsibly and sustainably. That is great, but where in the world does it make sense to give away our fishing rights to foreign fleets? The Minister may say it is so, that we must be responsible etc., but where does it make any sense that a boat fishing out of Castletownbere or Union Hall or Killybegs should be tied up at the pier while foreign counterparts can fish away to their hearts' content in some of our waters? It is no wonder fishermen are very frustrated. I attended that AGM and there is a sense of massive frustration. I was the only elected political figure who attended it but it would be educational for any politician to attend the AGM because each year they find the hill is getting harder to climb. This is nothing personal, even if it always seems like it is, but the Minister got a poisoned chalice with this. It is what it is, however, and we have been led down this road. The fishermen are angry and the Minister and the Department need to stand up and fight for our fishermen. This is why they were elected and we were elected: to get the fishermen a fuel subsidy and improved quotas. It is an absolute disgrace what has happened to this industry. It was one of the finest indigenous industries in this country and this Government and the Department officials have driven it to the shore with no prospects of a future for many.

Will the Minister again try to get some of our quota back and provide a fuel subsidy to the industry? We welcome the proposed 81% increase and I sincerely hope it will happen. Decisions have to be made around that increase in blue whiting. However, this will only benefit a club of 23 vessels in our fleet under the current application of the policy.

The Minister's opening statement also says that the waters around Ireland contain some of the most productive fishing grounds in the E.U. It also says that we have a duty of care and a national self-interest to protect their biological riches and as such, they must be managed responsibly and sustainably. That is great but where in the world does it make sense to give away our fishing rights to foreign fleets? One can say we must be responsible but where does it make any sense that a boat fishing out of Castletownbeare or Union Hall or Killybegs should be tied up at the pier while their foreign counterparts can fish away to their hearts' content in our waters? It is not wonder that fishermen are very frustrated. There was a sense of massive frustration at that AGM that I attended. As the only elected political figure that attended it. I think it would be educational for any politician to attend because each year they find that the hill is getting harder to climb. It seems like it always is but this is nothing personal. I think the Minister got a poisoned chalice with his appointment. However, it is what it is and we have been led down this road. Deputy McConalogue is the Minister and the fishermen are in agreement that the Department needs to stand up and fight for our fishermen. This is why we were elected, to go out there and get them a fuel subsidy, try to improve our quotas. It is an absolute disgrace what has happened to this industry. One of the finest indigenous industries in this country and this Government and the Department officials have driven it to the shore with no prospects of a future for many. My questions are my repeat statement over and over again. Will you try and get some of our quota back and again, as per my question, will the Minister and the Government provide a fuel subsidy.

Will the Minister revise the policy so those other pelagic vessels that lose their scad mackerel fishery will get a fair share of this national fishery? As I mentioned, the scad mackerel stock is estimated to have 805,000 tonnes of live fish. Knowing this species lives to a good age and there are good results from the egg survey two years ago, surely we can agree to adopt the rebuilding plan accepted by ICES to be precautionary. I am sure the Minister knows I am not going to end my contribution without once again asking why are we not approaching the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, ICCAT, for a small bluefin tuna quota? If you want to know why cod and herring stocks are so low I think the sea is full of these fish. It could be a significant contribution in their eating of this fish, flattening here to be caught by everyone but us. Even the Japanese fleet lands in to Killybegs when coming to catch them. I know they also do it in international waters but the bluefin tuna are only a mile from our shore and we cannot catch them. I would appreciate if the Minister might answer some of those questions. Thank you.