Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I said, I have put €12 million into this scheme, which has been running from June and will continue to the end of November and which was sought from me by fishing representatives. It has been welcomed by those who have availed of it and it has been important to them. I am now reassessing that situation. It is important from a food security point of view that fishing is happening, and that has been the case. Our full quota has been fished month by month.

Nevertheless, the spike in the price of fuel in recent weeks has caused me to reassess the issue, not least in light of the €12 million I have put in being due to expire at the end of November. It is a situation of which I am very much aware and I am engaging on it all the time with fishermen and women. There will always be asks for additional funding but when it relates to using future funding now, any measure has to be considered carefully to ensure it is appropriate, and that is what I am doing.

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