Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Deirtear sa Ghaeilge, cuir síoda ar ghabhar agus is gabhar i gcónaí é. Sílim go bhfuair muid léiriú eile de sin inné leis an bplean eacnamaíoch a chuir an Rialtas seo amach, mar níl sa bplean eacnamaíoch ach píosaí tarraingthe le chéile ó ráitis éagsúla agus seoltaí éagsúla a déanadh le bliain anuas. I ndáiríre, tá sé scanallach gur chosain sé €70,000 ar an gcáiníocóir leis an PR pack sin a chur le chéile.

I echo the support voiced this morning for Mr. Eddie Downey, the new leader of the IFA. I wish him well in his new role.

Like Senator O'Donovan and Senator Norris, I have grave concerns about the deal that was done overnight on the fisheries quota. As has been said, the Irish fisheries industry has been decimated over a number of years. The EU has been very detrimental to the fishing industry in Ireland, which is the reason so many young people have left the industry. I was talking to fishermen this morning and they are totally frustrated by the deal that has been made. They believe it will be detrimental to them, as they have lost important quotas that they needed to keep. They are also very frustrated by the broader picture. They still see huge factory ships sailing off our coasts which are taking huge amounts of fish. There appears to be scant policing of them, while the authorities here are very strict on the Irish fleet.

As Senator O'Donovan indicated, fishermen here are frustrated when they see boats from other EU countries being allowed to catch much larger quotas of fish in Irish waters. Those involved are particularly worried about the proposals in respect of whitefish stocks and the lack of progress on a deal between the EU, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland regarding quotas. Vessels from the latter countries are entering our waters and fishing them at will. I accept that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, is quite amenable to coming before the House but an urgent debate is required on this matter. The "Ho, ho, ho" was taken out of Christmas for most fishermen when they heard the details of the agreement that has been reached. It had been stated that, based on science, we would receive a much better deal. However, it appears we have been completely let down by science in this instance. It is very important we debate this issue as a matter of urgency.