John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister of State agree that SMAC has failed, despite the fact that it has representatives of all State authorities on it, if it has not instilled enough confidence in people for them to nominate to it? Will the Minister of State set a limit of a few weeks from today for participation, after which he will take decisive action? If he fails to do so, he will do the entire industry a grave injustice. The Minister of State mentioned last March, but this is the end of the year and we are now going into 2006 without anything having happened. At the same time, seed mussels have created a great deal of potential and are one of the biggest generic industries in the State. Cross-Border co-operation is also relevant here, since British vessels are flouting the law. People entitled to fish in the Irish Box are receiving no support since it is not in any way reciprocal.

The industry representatives say that SMAC is not a legal entity and that they do not recognise it. What does the Minister of State say to that?

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