Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ar an chéad dul síos, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Chathaoirleach as ucht a cheapacháin mar Cathaoirleach an choiste seo. Mar a dúirt sé, is coiste nua é seo. Is maith an rud é go bhfuil sé ann. Caithfear buíochas a ghabháil don Rialtas agus, ar ndóigh, do na páirtithe go léir a bhí i bhfabhar coiste mar seo a bhunú le plé le tionscadail na hiascaireachta agus na mara. Roimhe seo, ba é an coiste talmhaíochta a bhí ag plé leis an réimse seo. Ní raibh sé sin ceart ná cóir, áfach. Ní bhfuair an earnáil iascaireachta deis chun na riachtanais agus na fadhbanna a bhí aici a phlé. Ós rud é go bhfuil an coiste seo bunaithe anois, agus go bhfuil suim faoi leith ag na baill go léir sna tionscadail seo, beidh muid ábalta teacht le chéile chomh minic agus is féidir chun castáil leo siúd atá san earnáil seo, is iad sin, na dreamanna agus coistí go léir thart ar an chósta. Beidh deis acu teacht isteach anseo chun dianphlé a dhéanamh maidir lena gcuid fadhbanna.

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his appointment. He has obviously done some work in anticipation of this and future meetings considering that he has met a number of people to outline his views and the way forward. All of us have views. We will take the opportunity in the course of the coming months and years to try to assist the industry, which is based largely along the coast. Where jobs have been created in the industry, there is no other source of employment. The fishing industry is therefore important. My whole life has been in the industry and I am very familiar with places that the Cathaoirleach knows well. I refer to the buying of fish in Heilbhic and Cobh and processing in places from Dunmore East to Castletownbere and up to Galway, and even places on the other coast, including Howth and Clogherhead, and also places in my county, Donegal, including Killybegs, Greencastle and Burtonport, where the pelagic sector is so important. I hope we will have an opportunity to invite in all the national and regional organisations that wish to exchange views with us.

Unfortunately, I can claim that, while I was in Europe, I might have been the only one who was a full-time member of the fisheries committee for the 14 years that I was there. It plays an important role and we will play an important role. With the stewardship of the Cathaoirleach, no doubt we will have an opportunity to meet that committee and the Commission.

In my time, I believe Brexit did more damage to the industry than most of the other issues. I looked Michel Barnier straight in the eye when he was here negotiating Brexit. He said our industry would be safe because fishing and trade would be inextricably linked, but he did not follow through on that. We can see the amount of quota we have lost as a result of Brexit. I advocated at the time that had we threatened to veto Brexit, the fishing industry would be much better off. I now read from press reports, whatever is happening in the UK, that the Prime Minister may be prepared to relinquish some of that.

We have a lot of work to do. I look forward to the committee working together under the stewardship of the Cathaoirleach. At least now the fishing sector and the marine sector have a committee they can call their own and we are not the poor relation of the other committee that had responsibility for fisheries.

Geallaim don Chathaoirleach go bhfaighidh sé tacaíocht iomlán ón taobh eile den Teach agus go mbeimid sásta obair leis na Teachtaí agus Seanadóirí go léir atá ar an gcoiste seo.