Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is what our gardaí are dealing with. I am sure the Acting Leader, on behalf of the House, will convey our sincere gratitude to the Garda for what it has done this year and wish the force a successful Christmas. All over the country this year there have been examples of the success of the Garda in preventing crime and murders and keeping our homes safe. That is my prime point.

Second, I call again for an urgent debate on fishing quotas. In this regard, I move an amendment to the Order of Business, that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Coveney, come to the House today, as a matter of urgency, to discuss the news that 300 jobs in our decimated fishing industry will be lost in the southern part of Ireland because of a reduction in quotas. There have been severe reductions in quotas for plaice, haddock and prawns. This is a serious issue in the south. The Minister tries to put forward a positive spin by pointing to a 25% increase in a certain quota, but that is a 25% increase on an extremely low base. It is appalling that we are losing through a reduction in the very valuable prawn quota, for example. The French have ten times our quota for fishing in our seas, but they are only using a small amount of it.

Successive Governments, including past Fianna Fáil Ministers, have neglected to act properly for fishermen in this country. It is a shame to see the French, Spanish, Dutch and other nationalities, who hardly know where Ireland is on the map, coming to our shores and taking away our valuable resource. I demand that the Minister come to the House today for an urgent discussion on the decimation and decline of our fishing industry.