Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy states, I welcomed the approval that I had sought. I brought all of the representatives of fishers across the country together into a task force to advise me how to support the sector. As part of the report, they unanimously sought a voluntary decommissioning scheme and I then sought approval for that. I welcomed the fact that I got approval for the scheme.

As we discussed at the meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine earlier, what we would all like is more national quota. That is something I am fighting for at national level. However, there is also a reality alongside that. Since the quotas and relative stability were established in the early 1980s, they have remained unchanged, Brexit apart. Brexit has had an impact. I am working with the representatives of fishers themselves to decide how to respond to that at national level and in regard to the challenges we have coming out of the trade and co-operation agreement and also in terms of the strategy we have at European level to try to improve our position.

The decommissioning scheme has been sought by fishers themselves. I am surprised that Deputy Collins does not recognise it as a requirement and as something that would help the fishers who remain. I am working closely with the fishery representatives to respond to the various schemes, not just this one, but many other schemes to support the fishing sector in every way possible to try to maximise its value to coastal communities.

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