Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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Many of these guys are self-employed. They spend a lot of time out of the water due to various circumstances. Sometimes, they cannot go out perhaps because of the weather or if they are not allowed to fish for seasonal reasons. Have the team from the Department and the Minister worked with the Department of Social Protection to try to come up with something to bridge the gaps in income for inshore fishermen caused by the loss of fisheries? Given that they are self-employed, fishermen are entitled to next to nothing at present. What happens now? They are at home and they are making nothing. They are looking out the window, they want to go fishing, but they are not allowed for one reason or another. They are not allowed to sign on.

Many employees in unfortunate situations lose their jobs. After seven or eight months they are entitled to draw down money for a month or two until they get back into employment again. That is the case with seasonal workers who work in the tourism sector, for example. However, that is not happening here. The Department must work with the Department of Social Protection and draw up a scheme to allow self-employed inshore fishermen to at least draw down unemployment payments while they are out of work. They are asking me to relay that message to the Department. I will definitely fight that corner for them because they are unable to fight with the Department of Social Protection, which will not give them anything.