Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

The difficulty is that we have three different sets of advice, all of which are contradictory. If the Deputy is advocating that we take just one set of advice and act on it, I note his position. The clear policy decision of the Labour Party is that we take the advice of the standing scientific committee. However the Government must balance all the different interests, move as quickly as possible towards an agreed position and is trying to do so over the next two to three years.

In regard to the buy-out of drift net fishermen, my colleague, the Minister of State, made it clear on the last Question Time that if he had that amount of money available from taxpayers, he could think of better uses to which to put it in the context of angling, the development of the fisheries industry and tourism. I agree with that position. The figures vary from €80 million to a few hundred million euro. If that amount is available, it could be probably better spent. We are trying to balance the various interests such as the conservation interest and the interests of all the beneficiaries of the salmon resources. The resource is currently being preserved and this will be continued for the next number of years.

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