Michael Comiskey (Fine Gael)

I join my colleagues in welcoming the inaugural Yeats Day and look forward to attending the function this afternoon in Sligo. It is a very good day for us.

As my party's spokesperson in this House on marine issues, I welcome the agreement reached early this morning on the Common Fisheries Policy. I particularly welcome the move to end the requirement regarding discards, whereby fish are thrown overboard. Given the conditions of poverty and famine in countries across the globe, it is important that this practice should cease and that there be no requirement on fishermen to throw produce back into the sea. I also welcome moves to assist fishermen operating in a small way along the west coast. These are positive developments for the fishing sector.