Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Mac Lochlainn for his acknowledgement on the effort that we have gone to to try to accommodate this. I am the very first to accept it does not fully address it and that we cannot, unfortunately, go back to the situation that pertained beforehand and access the arrangements that were in place. Unfortunately, it is a result of what has happened with Brexit and the radical changes it has made to the relationship between Britain and Ireland and in terms of the UK fisheries policy and the Common Fisheries Policy. I put great effort and detailed work, with my team, into assessing this. I looked particularly at what the landing pattern was to try to ensure a geographic spread in the designation. Approximately half of the national landings of Northern Irish registered boats in the Republic are in Donegal, for example, so four out of the seven are in Donegal. There are also Rossaveel and Howth. Other areas had much lower landing figures, which is why they were not designated. I will keep it under review as time progresses and my ears are certainly open to the challenge.

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