Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I do not want to make commitments in the Chamber when I may not be able to deliver on them later. However, I would be more than happy if the Deputy wished to talk to me in person about the case he raised of the 15 fishermen. Deputy Pearse Doherty does not need me to remind him that we do not have much money to spend. My Department must make significant savings next year which will stress many people. I will examine the case he raised if he gives me the full details and see what is possible for the Department to do.

I do not think a separate islands policy in the CFP is a runner. For example, could Britain be considered an island? How does one classify rural coastal communities in Spain and Portugal which are not on islands? The new CFP will examine sea areas rather than land masses. That is why we want to get preference for Ireland in several areas. For example, we want to retain Ireland's special treatment for a white fish quota through the Hague preferences. The reason behind this is to keep economies of scale in Ireland's fishing industry. If the amount of quota allocated for a particular catch falls below a certain tonnage, it may not be viable to fish it any longer. I hope this reasonably good deal will be protected under the new CFP. I have made this point to the Commissioner. It is not a done deal but I am working on it.

The second special treatment I will be getting for Ireland will deal with the biologically sensitive area around the Irish Box which comprises the south-west and south coasts. It is probably the most fertile spawning ground in the EU seas. Spanish, Dutch, French and British trawlers concentrate most of their fishing efforts around this biologically sensitive area and are desperate to enter it. We need to keep the existing protections in place.

Regarding the single transferable quota system, we cannot simply opt out of the CFP just like we cannot opt out of the Common Agricultural Policy. However, we can make it clear at an early stage what we consider acceptable and not. The single transferable quota will be the most contentious issue for Ireland and one on which we must make a real stand. Spain, the most politically powerful of the fishing nations, sees the single transferable quota system as a solution to the quota problems its current fleet is experiencing. The Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, however, now understands our concerns in this regard. It is up to her to put a solution together that can accommodate Ireland.

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