Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)

I want to raise the 16-year-long injustice that has been inflicted on the Arklow fisherman, CJ Gaffney, and his family. They have lost everything. It is has been described as a life sentence. They have been 16 years campaigning for justice, compensation and improved safety standards for fishing vessels but mainly compensation. They have taken their battle to the Netherlands, Germany and Brussels, as the Tánaiste knows well. The EU has stated that there is a fund in place to compensate the family. I know the Tánaiste, Taoiseach and MEPs have all agreed, the Council has agreed but nobody is actually doing anything to draw down the funds. The family feels abandoned for the past 16 years. The buck has been passed from Department to Department and the Government has refused to act to draw the funds down. It is prolonging the family's suffering. It is a grave injustice that is continuing. It is not costing us anything. The EU is paying for it but the Government is moving the goalposts and not drawing it down. I ask the Tánaiste to act with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to get the wheels moving and put an end to this injustice, even just to compensate the family. If that could be done, I would really appreciate it.

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