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

The Taoiseach might have heard that yesterday there was a suspension of standing orders at a meeting of a county council to discuss another fishing crisis that has emerged under his Government. The fishing trawlers in Castletownbere, Union Hall and other piers in County Cork are staying tied up at those piers as trawler and boat owners cannot afford to go out due to the astronomical fuel prices. One boat owner told councillors that it cost him €42,000 to go out for just one run for his catch. He is not going. The Spanish and French fishing trawlers fishing in Irish waters are getting a 30 cent a litre subsidy during the fuel crisis from their understanding governments. This is the same situation for farm owners and contractors. Is this Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and power-controlling extreme Green Party Government going to sit blindly through this unprecedented crisis or will it step in immediately to aid these struggling fishermen and farmers?

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