Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)

He is therefore talking about a national asset being exploited by a Dutch consortium for two years when in fact it should be divided among the Irish fleet. Does the Minister of State accept the implications of the decision to allocate so much of the national quota to one vessel and consider that fair? In allocating that quota the Government has discriminated primarily against the greater Irish fleet as has the fact that a national asset is now in the hands of a consortium outside this country. The entire quota for blue whiting was taken up by one vessel. Does the Minister of State believe this was correct? Is it fair to the rest of the fishing fleet that one vessel should have control over the entire quota for one species?

See this speech in context