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

I will never support a scheme that takes Irish fishermen out of Irish waters. I could not do that. It would not be right of any Irish politician to do anything like that. The Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation was opposed to this as well, and it is a fishing organisation.

I spoke to the Minister at the committee meeting on energy costs and fuel costs. The fishermen who are fishing at the moment are seriously concerned. They do not have the supports from the Government, perhaps not the Minister personally. The French and the Spanish are supporting their fishermen. They made sure they got their fuel subsidies because energy is a major cost, but the Irish have not. There is a fund, to which the Minister referred. I know he is looking at it, but he needs to work on it. The fund must be distributed immediately. What will the Minister do if the budget of €60 million is not enough to properly compensate these families who are losing everything they worked for, in some cases they are third and fourth generations?

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