Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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68. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of families that are giving up fishing due to the failed delivery of a third Irish decommissioning scheme; and if 50 or 60 families will lose their right to catch fish in Irish waters (details supplied). [53530/22]

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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The Minister stated publicly that the task force he set up resulted in the industry asking him for a third Irish decommissioning scheme. Could he tell me how many families are giving up because the Government has failed to deliver? Is it 50 or 60 families losing their right to catch Irish fish in Irish waters? Could he answer exactly how many?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The seafood task force, which included representatives of the five fisheries producer organisations and the four main fisheries co-operatives, recommended in its October 2021 report that a voluntary decommissioning scheme should be implemented to help restore balance between fishing fleet capacity and available quotas, following the reductions in quotas for stocks arising from the Brexit trade and co-operation agreement.

I announced the scheme in July of this year, and it was opened for applications by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, in September. The scheme makes €60 million available in funding for those who apply to take part in the scheme and an additional €20 million in tax relief.

In line with the recommendations of the task force, I am also requiring that owners of vessels who choose to participate in the scheme must ensure that crew working on their vessel are compensated for their loss of livelihood following the decommissioning of their vessel. Crew payments can range up to a maximum of €50,000 per individual. As the scheme is due to close on 18 November, it remains unclear how many applications will ultimately be received. However, BIM has recently informed me that 24 applications have been fully submitted, while a further 30 are at various stages of preparation.

The scheme runs concurrently with a series of schemes aimed at creating jobs in the seafood sector and in coastal communities, including the €45 million Brexit seafood processing capital scheme, the €20 million Brexit allocated to the sustainable aquaculture growth scheme and €25 million for the blue economy enterprise development scheme. In total, €225 million in supports and developmental strategies have been announced which will contribute to sustaining employment in the seafood sector as a whole, providing new career opportunities and ensuring those transitioning within the sector are supported.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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As the Minister is aware, I did not support this decommissioning because I always felt there were enough Irish fish in Irish waters for Irish fishermen to fish. They wanted to fish their way out of the problems they had. All they ever asked for was a fair share of the quota, which has been denied to Irish fishermen for many years, not just recently.

The Minister publicly welcomed the EU Commission’s approval of the scheme submitted to it to see if it would be okay under state-aid rules. In hindsight, were the Minister's chosen words, welcoming the loss of so many jobs the correct way for a Government Minister to act?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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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?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It is a fair feat to be able to hold two positions at the one time, even in the one contribution. In one sentence, Deputy Collins says he is against the scheme, and then in the next sentence he is looking for more money.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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I am, because I know what will happen. They are walking away from fishing. They have no choice. I am not supporting it.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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No. I am sorry, but Deputy Collins cannot answer his own question.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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The Minister cannot answer it either.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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In the following sentence, Deputy Collins was looking for more money for that very same scheme.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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Is there enough-----

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I am sorry.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, along with all the other fishing organisations was part of the seafood task force, which unanimously recommended that there should be a decommissioning scheme. I am following through on that request. I am also following through in the many efforts I am making at European level to try to improve our quota position. There has been some success in that regard in terms of securing more blue whiting, for example. I am also battling at European level to try to improve our mackerel quota. Those are all hard-earned, hard-fought opportunities where we try to improve our position.

We must also work at national level to ensure we have as many viable, economically sustainable fishery families as possible. I am working to respond to the requests of the fishing sector on how we can do that. The decommissioning scheme is one of the requests.