Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his response and I welcome the commitment to ensure that all submissions will be closely examined and considered. As a resident of the Dingle peninsula, I know that the people who have made submissions will be grateful that they will be considered carefully and, hopefully, acted on.

I welcome some of the positive aspects of the draft plan and I acknowledge that progressive steps have been taken. Unfortunately, the charges are a major issue. It was one of the first issues I raised here following my election in April last year. I raised the issue that the existing charges were so high and that any further increase would be completely unacceptable. I too welcome the offer to arrange a meeting between officials and concerned parties from Dingle. I have contacted the Minister's office and asked him to meet with some of the individuals involved and hopefully that will happen.

This is a very important issue for the people of Dingle. It may not be a big issue in the overall scheme of things as far as the Department is concerned. However, it is very important in west Kerry. Fungi is a very important attraction in west Kerry. He does not have a voice for himself and we need to speak on his behalf. The fishing industry is hugely important to Dingle, as is the business generated from it and from yachts coming into Dingle. We need to protect that and to do everything possible to protect the jobs associated with it. I ask that everything possible is done to accommodate the requests and submissions made by the various parties.

See this speech in context