Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the answer, which contains reasonably positive news with the recommendation of a quota for VIa south and VIa north. Will the Minister outline the timeframe for deciding on the additional requested quota and whether that will delay things much more? The Minister's predecessor stated specifically that a good proportion of the quota would be ring-fenced for small-scale fishermen in the inshore sector with particular reference to fishing vessels under 10 m in length. That is vital. While the quota is small, it represents a significant income for fishermen at that scale and would be of most value to them. The quota would not be of much commercial use to larger-scale fishing vessels due to the costs involved in catching the fish. It is vital to ring-fence the quota for small vessels under 10 m in length. I urge the Minister to ensure that the regulations are implemented to reflect that.

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