Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to be associated with the Minister's tribute to the late Hugo Boyle who resided in Achill. He was very much part of the fine tradition between Achill and Donegal, particularly in our fishing community but also in all communities. I extend my sympathies to his wife and daughters and to his wider family. He was an exemplary servant of the Irish fishing industry all his life.

This is an incredibly complex time for Irish fisheries and the Minister has given it absolutely everything so far in his Ministry. There is the challenge posed by Brexit and also Covid. In many ways, it is the perfect storm. I welcome the commitment the Minister gave to Deputy O'Sullivan on establishing a task force. Will the Minister outline some of its modus operandi and what he sees as its terms of reference? It needs to have short and sharp terms of reference, and a short lifespan. Everyone knows the problems but it is important that the Minister involves people in industry in the solutions.

The Minister replied to a parliamentary question I put down last night. He outlined that through the Brexit adjustment reserve, €1 billion will be available to Ireland in 2021 and 2022 expenditure. Does he envisage an amount within that which will go to the fishing sector in particular? There has been fear of the consequences of Brexit since 2016, and now there are the consequences of Covid. Many Deputies have observed very simplistic views on this, but it is incredibly complex and challenging. We do a disservice to the fishing community to present it as something simple that can be easily resolved.

However, when we have things in our own control around the Cabinet table, such as the €1 billion, that is where we need the task force. I accept it is too early to have too much detail, but what are the Minister's general thoughts on the direction of that for fishing?

I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív in terms of the inshore fishing community. They are often forgotten but they are a very important part of it in terms of their engagement in the industry and the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit on that industry. They need a separate investment programme for fleet and infrastructure to assist and allow them to get through this challenge and to grow into a niche that may be available for them also. I would encourage the Minister around that.

We seem to have taken the biggest hit in terms of quota, particularly in mackerel. What are the plans or the chances of quota rebalancing within the short term? Renegotiating the fisheries policy is probably more medium term and will not produce the kind of results that we need, but in terms of where we find ourselves in the context of the agreement reached on Christmas Eve and where the fishing industry finds itself, is there any openness or willingness to adjust quota reserves across the countries that matter as a response to the Irish situation?

I had the honour of being in the Minister's Department for a short time. My engagement with the fishing community was short but this is a very focused group of people who have great ambitions and who are faced with very big challenges - Brexit, Covid and also climate change - which are not in the long term; they are immediate. The Minister's response, and he has the support of all of us, will shape the future of the industry for many generations to come.

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