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

Deputy Doherty is always generous in the House. I understand the concerns in the fishery sector, particularly those linked to Brexit. Let me be very clear. Michel Barnier reiterated in advance of negotiations this week that he has a very clear mandate regarding to the fisheries sector and that there will not be a trade deal between the EU and the UK without a deal on fishing and a level playing field. He also stated that there must be a governance model which ensures that said level playing field is monitored and enforced, with a dispute resolution infrastructure in place.

That has been the EU position from the outset of these negotiations and is also consistent with what the UK committed to in writing in the political declaration which was agreed in parallel with the withdrawal agreement. That is what we intend on holding both sides to in the negotiations. This does not mean that the outcome for fishing is predetermined; of course it is not. The UK position on fishing is very different from what the EU is looking for. That is why we need fishing negotiated in the context of a trade deal and all of the other issues that are part of that negotiation, as opposed to hiving off different negotiations independent of each other. That was never intended to be the approach and it is not going to be. In doing so, we are seeking to protect the interests of the Irish fleet in terms of both access and the quota share it currently enjoys in British waters.

I expect that the fisheries element of this negotiation is going to get very difficult. We need to keep our fishing fleet informed and, if necessary, supported with assistance packages as we await what we hope will be a fair outcome for all sides in terms of the fisheries element of a Brexit deal at some point in the autumn. I do not have a readout on how the negotiations have gone this week. This is the fourth round of negotiations on a future relationship. The first three rounds failed to make any progress. In fact, if anything, they went backwards because the two sides are looking for different outcomes from the negotiations, which makes it particularly difficult to make progress, including on fishing. That is the position. I keep in very close contact with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine regarding the fisheries issue.

See this speech in context