Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

We are dealing with a very important issue concerning fundamental rights and natural justice. Any scheme of the kind in question should be characterised by equity. I am sure the Minister of State is aware of families in our constituency who have suffered tragic losses but who are not aware of the existence of the scheme due to the fact that it was advertised in a very limited number of publications, mainly related to the fishing industry. He will understand that families who are no longer involved in the industry due to the loss of family members who were engaged in fishing for generations would not be aware of it.

The Ombudsman's report, which I, too, read, is fairly damning. Great credit is due to Jim Higgins MEP who was responsible for it. Given the constituency the Minister of State represents, I urge him to respond as generously as possible to the points made by the Ombudsman.

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