Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his contribution. There are no two ways of looking at this. Whatever people's views on the overall Brexit package are, most if not all Members of this House would argue that, in the main, a good deal was negotiated, insofar as was possible, on behalf of Ireland. Putting that aside and looking at this from a fisheries perspective, this was an incredibly bad deal for Ireland. It is not the first time that Irish fisher communities have been the losers in our interactions with the European Union. Transfers to Britain as a result of this deal will disproportionately impact Ireland with €42 million out of the total of €182 million. That is not fair and nobody would accept or even argue that it is fair.

Does the Minister accept that there needs to be an overall re-evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy? I hope the Minister accepts that because anybody looking at this objectively would accept that the quota Ireland receives is pathetic when one considers that we are the largest island in the European Union and our proportion of the quota does not in any way reflect that. Does the Minister agree that there needs to be an all-of-government approach to this? We know that if an Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine goes to an Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting and suggests a reopening of the Common Fisheries Policy he will be laughed out of the room. This can only be dealt with effectively if it is done at a Head of Government level and as a Government priority. In other words, we should tell the European Union that we are not accepting any further treaty change until there is a re-evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Does the Minister accept that at a minimum, there needs to be a Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and the marine? I am not casting aspersions on the Minister's dedication to this area but this is crucial to so many communities and to our domestic economy, particularly in coastal communities, that it requires a hands-on approach. We need a Minister of State with dedicated responsibility. Does the Minister agree with that and will he bring that to Cabinet for consideration?

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