Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am fully aware that the Minister has a keen interest in this issue as a former Minister with responsibility for the fisheries sector. He is a keen mariner and he is familiar with Cork coastal communities such as those in Kinsale, Union Hall and Castletownbere, which is the biggest fishing port. He is aware of how important access to UK waters will continue to be for these fishing communities. He is also aware of the devastating impact that not having access to UK waters would have on the industry and the communities it serves. I ask him to elaborate on that a little.

The Minister stated that his interest is in fish. Protection of fish stocks is absolutely vital. What if European vessels are frozen out of UK waters and boats from France and Spain come to Irish waters instead? Our waters are incredibly rich and we are lucky to have them. In such a scenario we could jeopardise fish stocks and biodiversity as well as an industry that is important to the country. I ask the Minister to elaborate a little on that.

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