Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)

I wish to share time with Deputies Michael Creed and Pádraic McCormack. I thank Deputy Creed for bringing this motion to the House.

I come from a constituency with a strong fishing tradition and a significant economic dependency on the industry and therefore I have been dismayed over the past number of years, particularly during the past few months, by the Government's inaction on this issue. It ignores the warning signs concerning the future viability of the Irish fishing industry. Fishermen in my county, in communities such as Kilmore, Duncannon, Fethard-on-Sea and other areas, are being forced off the sea and into the social welfare system. The Government should recognise the short sightedness of its approach in allowing a long established industry to die. In the long term it will pay a cost in providing social welfare payments to support families who previously earned their livelihoods from fishing.

This Government has witnessed the decimation of the fishing industry. Fishermen and their representatives are angry and frustrated. They know they have a good product for the marketplace but bad management has allowed the situation reach crisis point. It is not only those directly involved in the industry who will suffer if the Government does not take decisive action. There is a knock on effect. Vibrant economic and social communities have been built around the fishing villages and if the industry becomes unviable, those shops, petrol stations, pubs and restaurants will suffer. The social fabric of these villages will be damaged. I cannot stress enough the importance of that point.

Fishermen's representatives have been very vocal in getting out their message and I ask the Minister to heed their concerns. Against a backdrop of core difficulties and restrictions which have already led to hardship, the impact of rising fuel prices is effectively the straw that breaks the camel's back. Boat owners have been unable to afford or justify the cost of diesel to go to sea and over the past few weeks many crew members have been forced to sign on and seek social welfare assistance. In many instances members of extended families are involved in the crewing of boats and when the boat is no longer at sea there is a double whammy effect. If a father, a son and a son-in-law are on a single boat that can no longer fish, there is a significant economic impact on that family.

If there was a factory closure in my part of the country there would be news headlines, television cameras and promises of taskforces from any Government. Allowing the fishing industry to decline has the same impact but unfortunately the reaction is not as visible.

It is a most depressing sight to drive into a small fishing village and see boats tied up in the harbour. On behalf of the fishermen of County Wexford and the rest of Ireland, I plead with the Minister not to allow this industry to die. The consequences will be dire and far reaching. People are willing and able to work. I ask the Minister to ensure they have an industry in which to work and to secure its viability into the future.

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