Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak today. I commend the work of the committee which made this recommendation and Sinn Féin on bringing forward this Bill on the back of that recommendation. I welcome the fishing representatives from our islands in the Visitors Gallery.

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Andrew Doyle, on his role, which has been remarked on by previous speakers, in chairing that committee and putting that valuable report together. It is absolutely crucial that these reports and recommendations are not just published but that they are acted on. The report of the committee the Minister of State chaired followed previous reports in the 2000s. There were two - in 2003 and 2007 - if I recollect correctly but their were two in previous years. It is crucial we see those recommendations put in place. There is no doubt that our island communities have suffered tremendously. As new jobs have been created in the wider economy, some in new sectors, these new jobs have not arrived on our islands. At the same time, the traditional jobs have been leaving them. As a result, incomes have been reduced, and the islands have experienced emigration in a way that other parts of the country have not. The income levels are much lower and all the statistics show that to be the case.

Those who live on the islands, however, are very dedicated, committed and loyal to their way of life and make the very best of the resources that are available to them. It is absolutely crucial that, from a national policy point of view, we try to assist and work with them. I commend the Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation on the work it has done in pioneering this. I know from the Minister of State's contribution that he has a concern with the Bill and may not support it. However, I would point out to him that cross-party support means the Bill can go forward but that should not happen with the Government digging in its heels and trying to resist it. I encourage the Minister of State to embrace the Bill and work with it. If it requires amendment, let us have that debate on Committee Stage where that can be facilitated. The Bill can be added to and teased out further, as required.

The overall objective of 1% of quota, which is what has been indicated will be required, is not significant in the round. However, it will be particularly significant and important if allocated to the islands, specifically to island-based fishermen. The letter all Deputies received from Seamus Bonner of the Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation, in the name of the chairperson, Jerry Early, outlined very clearly the importance of the Bill. In the letter, Mr. Early wrote:

The ongoing losses suffered by Ireland's indigenous and sustainable island fishing communities are undermining the cultural life of our coastal peoples and they live every day with the threat of further losses. Making a living out of the sea is not just about fishing, it is a way of life and fundamental to the fabric of life in coastal communities.

People are sustained not just by the food and income it supplies, they are sustained by the songs, stories and ancient traditions it inspires. Ireland's islanders have been farmers and fishermen for generations, living in harmony with the needs of the land and the environment. However, current and future generations of island-dwellers are forced to emigrate or move to the cities, this unique way of life is being lost.

That puts it very well and puts the onus on us, as legislators, to ensure the life, incomes and cultural lifestyle of our islands, which are so important to the fabric of our country, can be maintained and to work with them to support that.

As spokesperson for agriculture, I must point out that in the areas of natural constraint scheme, there is a special category for islands, which pays at the maximum rate, in recognition of the fact that farming is more difficult on islands. We should do the same where fishing is concerned.

I support this Bill and I urge the Minister of State to allow it to go to Committee Stage with his co-operation rather than resistance. I call on him to work with all parties in the Dáil to ensure this very worthwhile objective comes to fruition so that we can support our island fishermen and communities.

See this speech in context