Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have been here the longest and I have been waiting, so I will take my ten minutes. As Deputy Gallagher said, many of us have stayed around to contribute to this Bill and that only serves to emphasise its importance.

I compliment the Sinn Féin Party on bringing forward the Bill and on making a significant contribution in this area.

The Bill is about the future of island communities and small fishermen. It is a signal to these people, our people, that they are not being forgotten. It is clear to everyone that small-scale island fishermen have struggled for survival. In a brilliant article last July, Lorna Siggins wrote about Ireland's islands and how the offshore islands were fighting depopulation and neglect. People on the islands have felt abandoned at times. I know the story of one such fisherman. Many people know him although I do not. His name is John O'Brien from Arranmore in Donegal. The article neatly encapsulated why this Bill is so important. It has the clear objective of formalising the recognition in Ireland for small offshore islands that are dependent on fishing. Mr. O'Brien clearly struggled after he and several other fishermen on Arranmore refused to surrender their wild salmon licences when the ban on drift netting came into operation in 2007. He refused a compensation package. In a brilliant film for TG4, "A Turning Tide in the Life of Man / I mBéal na Stoirme" by the French film producer Loiec Jourdain the seed or idea of heritage licences for fishing tied to a cultural link to a specific area emerged. Mr. O'Brien’s advocacy and awareness was the acorn for this concept. It was all about a refusal to dispose of the rights of his children and grandchildren. That acorn started to grow and was strengthened as a result of the report referenced already this evening on promoting rural, coastal and island communities from the Sub-Committee on Fisheries. I have been a member of agriculture committees for the past 20 years, but I think I was out of favour for a year or so around that time the sub-committee deliberated and so I was not involved. The sub-committee operated under the chairmanship of the now Minister of State, Deputy Doyle. The report was published in January 2014.

Mr. O'Brien did not stop after his initial efforts. He went to the European Parliament and, with his colleagues, achieved the insertion of a clause in the Common Fisheries Policy allowing member states to protect island communities. He has already secured a major achievement. The idea of people telling us that our aims cannot be achieved is simply ceding far too easily to legal advice.

The Bill provides for the introduction of non-transferable community quotas for the islands that would be facilitated through the issuing of heritage licences to island fishermen in order to carry out traditional island fishing practices. Seasonal small-scale coastal fishing could be a life-saver for these communities, since it would help to sustain employment and thereby communities. In turn, this would help in the retention of school facilities and other important infrastructure on the islands. If we do not take proactive steps to sustain and maintain the island populations by specific policy measures, such as those contained in this simple but effective Bill, then the population will drift and disappear and important parts of our culture, heritage, music, language and dialect will be lost forever. I recognise that the Bill may well have to be refined and amended.

We are all aware that the ongoing losses suffered by Ireland's indigenous and sustainable island fishing communities are undermining the cultural life of our coastal peoples as they struggle and grapple each day with the threat of impending further losses. If this is allowed to continue without positive intervention, such as the measures as set out in the Bill, the fabric of coastal communities will inevitably disappear.

Other EU member states have argued successfully for heritage status for their islands. Yet, we are an island country but we have been tardy and reticent about our ambition to achieve the objective that Mr. O'Brien and his fellow brave fishermen have sought. This is our opportunity. If there is an EU objection to our reservation, we should tell those responsible to get stuffed. We have been craven long enough. The Sub-committee on Fisheries set out 29 recommendations to help and assist coastal communities in activities such as aquaculture, inshore fishing, tourism and seaweed activities. As I have said, the issuing of heritage licences under recommendation 10 can be instantly achieved by facilitating the passing of this legislation.

The sub-committee prepared a comprehensive report that necessitated many meetings, work and scrutiny. The recommendations are instructive. The sub-committee recommended that the Government should examine the feasibility of heritage licences to be issued by the Department for rural coastal communities representing and facilitating traditional fishing practices.

Let there be no more beating around the bush: let us stop kowtowing and adopting a subservient attitude to the EU Commission. These can be facilitated within the terms of the current Common Fisheries Policy framework. As far as I can see, the EU Commission seems to be generally happy or eager to support proposals if they facilitate the privatisation of our vital natural resources.

Various amendments can be made and if deficiencies exist in the Bill they can be remedied on Committee Stage. Definitions can be refined and appeal systems can be included.

As Deputy Martin Kenny stated, small-scale coastal fishing is defined as fishing from vessels less than 12 m in length and not using towed fishing gear. This is a precise legislative definition which the Labour Party unequivocally supports. As Deputy Kenny noted, this form of artisan fishing contrasts favourably with fishing by large vessels and super-trawlers which catch all before them and cause small fishermen to lose out.

For a century, the Labour Party has supported and worked with our island communities. I refer to the work done by Deputies, Senators, councillors and members of my party, from the former Deputy Michael McCarthy in Cork South West to the former Councillor Seamus Rodgers in County Donegal. Last July, Mr. Rodgers contacted the Labour Party Parliamentary Party immediately to ensure that we would support the Bill proposed by Sinn Féin. Fair play to Sinn Féin Deputies for being networked; they do not miss a trick.

Every year on Arranmore, the island on which the Bill was launched, the life of the great socialist campaigner, Peadar O’Donnell, is celebrated. Peadar, a socialist republican and lead organiser for the ITGWU, never forgot his roots in Donegal. He wrote the acclaimed book Islandersin 1928. The Islanders Weekend, which is held in his memory, is a unique event which examines how to make life more sustainable on our islands. The theme of September's gathering was "islands on the edge" and what could be done to make life more sustainable on our islands.

As a Deputy from an inland county, I am not familiar with coastal areas but I read about many of the issues to bring myself up to speed. I would be much more informed if we were discussing lake fishing. I had a busy two days reading the report on fisheries produced by the joint committee in 2012.

The Bill is welcome and timely and I applaud Sinn Féin Deputies for introducing it. If we are to support our island communities, there must be a commitment to sustaining a livelihood. Fishing is the resource closest to them.

The Bill was launched on the island of Arranmore by Deputies Martin Kenny and Pearse Doherty, and I know Deputy Martin Ferris also contributed to drafting it. Arranmore is an interesting example because it was the first offshore island to be connected under the rural electrification scheme in 1957, more than 60 years ago. Today, the Dáil debated the provision of broadband to 524,000 people living in rural areas who still do not have access to a service. They include places such as Ballynacarrigy, Ballymore, Castletown Geoghegan, Colehill and Lenamore in my constituency. My parish of Ballynacarrigy was divided up for the purpose of delivering broadband, which meant we could look up to the road and see works being done in Sonna. Arranmore Island got electricity in 1957. It is an absolute disgrace that broadband is not available in a large area such as Ballynacarrigy. The quicker it is provided the better. I would not like to think it will take hundreds of years. If the Government cannot give islands a proper connection to the modern world, it should at least allow islanders to fish the waters off their shores to try to eke out a living and pass it on to their offspring.

Peadar O'Donnell championed the rights of seasonal potato pickers who had to travel to Scotland. I have no doubt he would have been at the forefront of the campaign to ensure the Bill is enacted. The challenges Peadar O'Donnell faced in organising workers still exist, albeit in different forms. While the gig economy benefits some, it does not offer sustainable jobs with decent terms and conditions.

Fishing has traditionally been a mainstay for our islands and this Bill would ensure guaranteed rights and some chance of maintaining a population on them. For this reason, the Labour Party unambiguously and unequivocally supports it.

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