Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have two minutes to speak on this issue. I could spend an hour speaking on it. This Bill aims to criminalise the entire fisheries sector and creates an unequal and deeply unfair legal system for fishermen and women. Therefore, it is important for the Minister to support us on this amendment. He said that we are the last to bring in the penalty points system. We are the last when it comes to fishing in all negotiations. It was proven at Brexit, when we got the most shocking deal of all time. We have been the last at every negotiation about fishing. We come out the worst. Maybe it is time for the Minister to stand up to his European counterparts and tell them that, a few years ago, he was on the other side of the fence. Maybe if there was a general election and the Government was toppled, the Minister might be on this side of the fence again, back with us, and supporting this amendment. This is the direction that the Minister was heading at that time but obviously a bit of power changes everything and the fishermen are sacrificed.

The Minister said he had discussions with numerous fishing organisations. Can he name one that supports this measure? They are the people who know the effect that this will have on the people on the ground. They are the people who we should listen to and who I am taking my advice from. It is astonishing to think that a very reasonable amendment is not being accepted here. We are the very last to get this sorted. The only thing that we will succeed in doing for our fishermen this year is decommissioning. That is the best deal that they will get this year. Is it not sad to think that we will wipe out a fleet of fishing boats from our waters and that decommissioning is the only flag that we have, to get rid of the fishermen? Deputy Danny Healy-Rae was right when he said that fishermen are being got rid of. There is no point in denying that because they know it.

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