Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for his response. We are aware the Minister and the officials in his Department are taking this issue seriously. He has brought the matter to the European Commission with great force. The EU fisheries industry is not entirely clean in this regard, regrettably, as these breaches are being supported by vessels that departed the EU fisheries register to help the Icelandic and Faroese industries to process large amounts of fish. They do not have the capacity to process such amounts of fish without the help of individual companies within the EU. It is regrettable that they are being facilitated by EU companies. It will complicate issues when the negotiations mentioned by the Minister take place. I am very hopeful that the Commission will show its teeth when it uses this process and this instrument to propose sanctions against Iceland and the Faroe Islands. I hope the Commission will force those countries to honour the fisheries agreements into which they have entered.

It has to be noted that Iceland has form in this regard. I imagine that Irish people looked on with great glee when Iceland took on the UK in the cod wars of the 1950s and 1970s. Now that we are the victims of what is happening in Iceland, it is not as funny anymore. People in this country looked on nonchalantly and thought it was okay when Iceland took on our neighbours across the water in the UK and virtually wiped out fishing towns like Grimsby and Hull. We are now being directly affected by Iceland's efforts to uphold what it sees as its rights. As the Minister quite rightly said, Iceland agreed to total allowable catches to support and enhance sustainable fisheries for future generations. That agreement was reached not just in the interests of Iceland and the Faroe Islands, but also in the interests of Ireland, Scotland and the rest of the EU. If the agreement is not defended, our coastal communities will suffer as a direct result, unfortunately. I commend the Minister on his approach to this matter.

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