Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 119: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the details of the recently established Regional Advisory Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27893/05]

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Regional Advisory Council to which the Deputy refers is the RAC for north western waters. This covers the waters to the north, west and south of Ireland, to the west of Scotland, the Irish Sea and the English Channel; which are the waters of primary interest to Irish fishermen. I was delighted to welcome the RAC to Dublin Castle for its inaugural meeting on 30 September.

This is the third of a proposed seven RACs to come into being. The principle of establishing RACs was agreed as part of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy in 2002, as a means of increasing stakeholder involvement in and ownership of the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, as well as improving communications and relations between fishermen and other stakeholders. The mechanism for establishing RACs was agreed at political level in May 2004 under the Irish Presidency of the EU. Subsequently, Bord Iascaigh Mhara was appointed as the secretariat of the north western waters RAC. The Commission declared the RAC operational on 22 September 2005.

The structure of the RAC for north western waters consists of a general assembly, an executive committee and four area-based working groups. These consist of two thirds fishing industry representatives and one third other stakeholders. The six member states involved in the RAC are Ireland, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. The general assembly of the RAC will meet at least once a year. The executive committee will be the main decision-making body of the RAC, consisting of 24 members and meeting at least three times per year. The working groups will carry out the detailed work of the RAC which will then be considered by the executive committee.

I am delighted at the successful inauguration of the RAC on 30 September. I am especially pleased that the RAC has signalled an intention of getting down to business quickly by holding its first working group meetings early next month. This will enable it to have an input into the process following the publication of scientific advice on the state of the stocks and leading up to the decisions on total allowable catches, quotas and fishing effort limitation to be made at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in December. It is by having a meaningful input into the serious issues facing the sector that the RACs can establish their credibility and contribute to the sustainable management of fisheries, and I am confident that they can achieve this objective.