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

The fishing question is about access, quota share and fleet displacement. We are trying to ensure our fishing interests are protected in all these areas. The danger is that the conversation moves to compensation as opposed to protection of fishing interests and access to quota share. I have tried to resist that throughout this process. First and foremost, the Government and I are interested in protecting fishing interests to ensure we have a fishing industry in future. The issue of the Brexit adjustment fund and what proportion of it goes to fishing and so on is separate. I have had conversations with the Commission on the matter. I am confident that Ireland will do well in the context of the Brexit adjustment fund, but it should not be seen as a fisheries fund. Many other areas are being disrupted and will need financial support to help them to get through that disruption. Help will be needed to reconfigure and reshape certain sectors of our economy linked to Brexit.

For me, fishing is about trying to hold on to as many fishing opportunities as possible across the pelagic and demersal sectors. What we are seeing in the negotiations is a breakdown of the sector stock by stock and a discussion between the two negotiating teams on access and quota share. We need to continue to deliver this while also ensuring that the issue of fish is part of the broader negotiation and not isolated from the other issues. I believe it would be dangerous for us to move there.

I will make one final point as there were two questions.

We must talk more about the advantages for Northern Ireland and the all-island economy that will come from the full implementation of the protocol here. It is an extraordinary position for the EU to have granted Northern Ireland full, unfettered, tariff and check-free future access to the Single Market of 450 million consumers. That is in addition to ensuring unfettered access for Northern Ireland into Great Britain. There is an upside to that which we should see and share with Northern Ireland, as opposed to seeing it as a threat. We should view Ireland as an island for economic purposes and as an all-island economy, and we should ensure that the protocol works in that context.

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