Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 307: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if the hardship fund for persons affected by the compulsory buy-out of drift net fishermen will apply to persons (details supplied) in County Mayo. [40283/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has created a hardship fund for those affected by the compulsory cessation of indiscriminate mixed stock salmon fishing at sea realising that these proposals will entail hardship for commercial fishermen and vulnerable coastal communities. This fund will be available to all those subject to a compulsory closure of their current commercial fishery, namely the holders of drift net licences and some draft net licence holders.

The level of payments will be based on the average verifiable catch for each licence holder for the past 5 years (2001-2005). Each individual licence holder should receive 6 times his average catch multiplied by the average net income per salmon (which is estimated to be €23 per salmon). In all cases a payment equal to 6 times the current licence fee will be made to each licence holder.

The hardship fund will be managed on an administrative basis by BIM and the Regional Fisheries Boards and the licence holders referred to by the Deputy will be eligible to apply on the above basis.

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 308: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the reason driftnet fishermen in NE England were given £70,000 a number of years ago in a buy-out in the interest of salmon conservation and £110,000 is reputed to have been offered to the ones remaining as a buy-out, whilst only approximately €2,000 is being offered to 850 driftnet fishermen here for a similar buy-out with €23 per salmon caught in the past five years with a quota reduction of 75% already operating, with no provision for the driftnet crew, or other option considered for them; if this is equitable in view of the effect on fishermen and their families in rural areas for the rest of their lives, with no option for satisfaction in the event of a resurgence in salmon stock; if he is considering any other options to help driftnet fishermen, their crews and families; the action he will take in view of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40381/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is aware that the Government adopted the key recommendations of the report by the Independent Group established to examine the implications of fully aligning the management of the wild salmon fishery with the scientific advice in 2007 and beyond. The central recommendation of this report is the creation of a hardship fund for those affected by the compulsory cessation of indiscriminate mixed stock fishing at sea.

The Government's primary motivation in adopting the report is that of conservation of the wild salmon species, which has long been regarded as one of Ireland's most prized fish. It is vital to afford every protection to the remaining salmon stocks and to clearly prioritise conservation over catch. The current imperative must be to maintain stocks above conservation limits or at the very least halt the observed decline.

In their report the group commented that the level of hardship likely to be experienced would vary both in extent and scale. Taking all factors into account and based on available information, noting particularly that there is no legal obligation on the State to provide compensation in a situation where it is imposing management measures that are fundamentally in the public good, they proposed to provide a measure of relief to each individual in line with the level of hardship likely to be experienced. They recommended that this should be based on the recent catch history of the individual licence holder from 2001 to 2005.

The Government accepted the recommendation of the Independent Group and has determined the level of payment should be based on the average verifiable catch and on the average net income per salmon in the commercial fishery for the past five years; that is from 2001 to 2005. This income calculation was based, on the average price obtained per fish each year less the costs incurred by fishermen. Each individual licence holder who applies to the fund is set to receive six times their average catch multiplied by the average net income per salmon. An additional payment equal to 6 times the current licence fee will be made in all cases. In the case of drift-net fishermen, this latter equals a payment of €2,022. I believe this is a fair and reasonable allocation.

An additional fund of €5 million will be available for a community support scheme. The focus of this measure should primarily be those communities, including crew members, where drift-net fishing has been a well-established activity and where its withdrawal demonstrably impacts on their economic and social fabric, e.g. Gaeltacht areas. Those eligible under this scheme would include those formerly involved in the drift-netting sector, the processing sector or where a promoter proposes to employ a significant number of people formerly engaged in drift-netting.

The licensing regime in the northeast of England was quite different to that which applies in this jurisdiction. I understand that property rights may have attached to fishing licences in England, which is not the case here. I am not aware of what may be offered to those fishermen that remain in the fishery, now that the Habitats Directive has a bearing on the continuation of mixed stock fisheries in all EU member states.