Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with much of what the Deputy has said. Many people in the inshore fishing fleet are on very low incomes and have had difficulty in accessing supports through the Department of Social Protection, not because it is anybody's fault but because fishermen are in a different position from people who are working in a more structured workplace. Often fishermen work on the basis of a share of the catch which is up and down, depending on the month, what quota is available, the weather and so on. This is a much less structured industry than other more normal employment. Sometimes that makes it more difficult to access supports. The national inshore fisheries forum is meeting the Department of Social Protection today to try to look at ironing out some of those problems. I spoke to the Tánaiste about this issue when there were severe storms either last year or the previous year and she was anxious that her Department would be helpful because everybody recognises that fishermen who are tied up to the quay because of bad weather for long periods will have income challenges.

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