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

As the Minister is aware, I did not support this decommissioning because I always felt there were enough Irish fish in Irish waters for Irish fishermen to fish. They wanted to fish their way out of the problems they had. All they ever asked for was a fair share of the quota, which has been denied to Irish fishermen for many years, not just recently.

The Minister publicly welcomed the EU Commission’s approval of the scheme submitted to it to see if it would be okay under state-aid rules. In hindsight, were the Minister's chosen words, welcoming the loss of so many jobs the correct way for a Government Minister to act?

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