Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

It gives me great pleasure as a Fianna Fáil backbencher from the class of 2007 to speak, at the request of the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Seán Connick, on the occasion of the first Private Members' business being taken by him. We on the Fianna Fáil backbenches are all conscious of the great honour of his appointment and are proud of him. Long before he was appointed as Minister of State to the Department, Deputy Connick demonstrated immense regard, respect and dedication to the fishing industry. It is no surprise, therefore, that he is the latest in a long line of Wexford fisheries Ministers. His new job is important to the economy. The fact he represents us at European level, where many of the important decisions are taken, leads me to suggest he should have full Cabinet status. That would be a big bonus for the south east. However, that is a matter not for me but for a higher authority. I wish him well. He has shown great commitment to this industry, as evidenced by his speech last night.

The fishing industry is of great importance to the country, but not so important in my constituency of Meath East, which has only approximately 200 ft of coastline in the Gormanston area, probably the shortest coastline of any constituency. I welcome the fact the Bill put forward by Fine Gael is well intentioned. On-the-spot fines and administrative sanctions might suit our fishermen if caught doing something they should not be doing. It is important that we remember that is the issue behind this Bill. Our objective is to save the fishing stock, but the Bill and its terms, as set out by Fine Gael, would apply to all fishermen, not just our own, in the waters where it would be applied. In some way, that would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

The objectives the Minister of State has set out in response to this Bill, in terms of protecting our fish stock, are of important national interest. His proposals go beyond the interests of the fishermen. The fishermen are an important part of the economy, but it is the overall national interest that must take precedence, irrespective of the interests of important interest groups like the fishermen. In the overall national interest, the Minister of State has adopted a tough and consistent policy towards illegalities in the practice of fishing in order to save stocks of what is a healthy product for the rest of the country. I wish the Minister of State well and believe he is right to oppose this Bill. However, perhaps work could be done to resolve the issue further down the line. Deputy Kenneally probably has some ideas in that regard because his constituency has a more important fishing industry than mine.

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