Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Níl lucht iascaireachta na tíre seo sásta faoin droim láimhe atá tugtha dóibh arís eile. Chuir mé fáilte mhór roimh an gcinneadh Ros a' Mhíl a ainmniú mar cheann de na calafoirt ina mbeidh cead ag báid ó na Sé Chontae agus ón mBreatain teacht isteach ann agus iasc a thabhairt i dtír. Ní raibh ciall ná réasún leis an gcinneadh gan ligean d'iascairí an méid seo a dhéanamh agus, mar sin, is comhartha dearfach é an dul chun cinn ciallmhar seo. Caithfimid anois infheistíocht a chinntiú do chalafort Ros a' Mhíl agus calafort domhainmhara a fhorbairt ansin. Impím ar an Aire geallúint a thabhairt dom inniu go ndéanfar é sin agus go bhfuil sé ar chlár oibre an Rialtais.

Is mian liom freisin aird an Aire a tharraingt ar cheisteanna a bhaineann leis an mBanc Porcupine atá san Atlantach amuigh ó Ros a Mhíl. Tá an t-ábhar seo ina chnámh spairne ag iascairí an iarthair faoi láthair. Agus muid ag plé na ceiste seo inniu, níl aon chead ag báid áitiúla ar an mBanc Porcupine, bíodh is nár chaill báid na Breataine fiú cuóta amháin agus go bhfuil siad amuigh ag trálaeireacht faoi láthair. An féidir leis an Aire míniú go dtarlódh sé seo? Cén fáth a bhfuil báid áitiúla ceangailte leis an gcé?

The fishing community is outraged, and rightly so, at how once again it has been left behind and forgotten. I was glad to see that Ros a' Mhíl was designated as a port that would allow for Northern and British fishing boats to land their catch. The previous decision not to allow this was ludicrous and it is good that a sensible decision has been reached. We urgently need to invest properly in Ros a' Mhíl and act on the development of a deep water quay. I am asking the Minister to commit to that now.

I also want to raise the very concerning issue of the Porcupine Bank off Ros a' Mhíl. Fishermen have contacted me on this. While we are discussing this, the Porcupine Bank is closed to local boats while British boats did not lose a single prawn quota and are now trawling for prawns. How can it happen that local boats are currently tied up?

There is also great concern among those who fish pelagic. They have lost a large percentage from their quota, far more than other countries, and this is crippling the fishing community. It affects the entire community; not only the fishermen themselves but local shops, the people who fix the boats and every element of the local economy. We are looking for renegotiation of the common fisheries policy to get a much better deal for Irish fishing communities. Will the Minister commit to that?

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