Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Rural Independent Group for tabling this motion on inshore fisheries. It is a sector which needs and deserves attention in this Dáil. It is close to my heart. I have fought tooth and nail for it as Minister to do all I can to support it. It is central to everything I do as Minister responsible for the marine. It is good to see it getting some floor time here in the Dáil. For the first time since I was appointed as Minister, it is good to see this, which is the first time that any group has tabled a motion on inshore fisheries. It is great. I thank the Deputies and ask them, please, to do it more. The Opposition in general does not give this issue enough time, so it is good to see it getting some time. It allows me an opportunity to update Deputies on things I have been doing to work with the inshore sector to develop it, promote it and try to ensure its income is protected.

As I say, this is close to my heart. The inshore fishing sector is part of my local community at home, including Urris pier, Malin Head pier, Glengad pier, Bunnagee pier and Greencastle pier. All of those depend on the inshore fishing sector, including all the people in those parishes I went to secondary school with, sat in the classroom with and grew up in communities with. As Minister responsible for the marine, I have invested money in all those piers I just mentioned. An average of €20 million, on balance, has probably been invested in all those piers and harbours over the past couple of years. That just includes Inishowen. I am from north Inishowen. I have a commitment to the inshore sector throughout the country. By far the largest number of boats, although they are all small, and families are dependent on the inshore sector.

I thank Deputy Collins for tabling this motion. He mentioned Union Hall pier, which I know very well. I remember two summers where I spent holidays renting an apartment in Glandore. I walked from Glandore to the fish shop in Union Hall to buy fish to take back to cook for our evening dinner. I know Union Hall well. I have invested in Glandore pier as Minister. I have not invested in Union Hall pier other than to provide some fencing, which was applied for and which I granted, but I did not receive any other application for funding for Union Hall. It is a local authority pier. I have spent more than €50 million as Minister on local authorities' small piers and harbours throughout the country in the last 18 months. Normally, in any one year, about €3 million is spent and I have spent about €50 million. Unfortunately, I have not received any application for Union Hall, which is a Cork local authority pier. If I had received an application, I assure Deputy Collins I would have done all I could to put money into it. Somebody, who seems to have been Deputy Collins, has been asleep at the wheel. He gave out to me for not giving funding for something for which I never got an application.

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