John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator McHugh for raising the issue and apologise for the absence of the Minister.

The fishing effort limitation scheme approved at the December Fisheries Council came into effect from 1 February 2003 and may run until the end of this year. The Commission has indicated that it is a temporary measure and that a further more detailed proposal will be presented for subsequent consideration by Council. I expect the Commission to present a proposal in the coming weeks following bilateral discussions currently under way between the Commission and member states.

The idea of a widespread fishing effort limitation scheme had been mooted by the European Commission throughout 2002. It was, therefore, an issue that featured prominently in the regular dialogue which the Department maintains with the Irish fishing industry. My opposition to fishing effort limitation has been consistent throughout and the Irish fishing industry has shared my concerns in this regard. I continue to maintain that the scheme is an extremely blunt instrument and do not believe that it will prove to be effective in fisheries management. Together with a number of like-minded colleagues, I emphasised this view at the December Council.

In the event, as the Senator is aware, the scheme was approved in a revised format and for a reduced area, predominantly covering the North Sea and certain waters to the west of Scotland. The agreement reached at Council means that there is no clear legal obligation on member states to implement it. To this end, I have recently signed a statutory instrument.