Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 52: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will lobby the EU for a bigger quota for Irish fishermen in their own waters which is minuscule compared with other nations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7111/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In relation to quota allocations, the position is that Ireland's shares of the main fish stocks were set in the early 1980s when fish stocks were being shared out between Member States. The share allocations were based on catch records and reflect the fishing levels by the Irish fleet at that time. The percentage shares held by each Member State have generally remained the same for over 20 years under the principle of relative stability.

Since then it has been a priority of successive Government Ministers with responsibility for the fisheries brief to try to have these shares improved. The Common Fisheries Policy was reviewed in 1992 and again in 2002 and in both cases substantial efforts were made to push Ireland's case for increased shares of important stocks but without success. Ireland received no support from other Member States for changes in the allocation keys for the share out of stocks. The next overall review of the basic framework of the Common Fisheries Policy is not scheduled until 2012.

The practical reality is that to achieve an increase in Ireland's share of catches, other Member States would have to take a cut in their shares. This is all the more difficult to achieve when the total allowable catches (TACs) of all the main commercial species are falling and the reality is that achieving a qualified majority for such an outcome at the December Agriculture and Fisheries Council where quotas are fixed for the following year, is not deliverable. At this point the European Commission and other Member States largely take the view that the quota shares are fixed and not subject to ad-hoc changes pending any more fundamental review of the Common Fisheries Policy.

The reform package, agreed in December 2002, included key national priorities such as the continuation of the Hague quota preferences, which are very important to Ireland as they guarantee minimum quotas to Ireland in certain stocks, an action plan to address the problem of juvenile fish catches, stronger control and enforcement and the establishment of Regional Advisory Councils giving fishermen a strong voice in shaping future fisheries policy at EU level.

Following protracted negotiations at the December Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 2007 a total package of 182,699 tonnes of fish was secured for the Irish Fishing Industry for 2008. This was a significant success given the initial proposal by the European Commission, which involved cuts of up to 25% for 25 of the 37 stocks of importance to Ireland. I also successfully defended the crucial Hague preferences after a number of Member States attempted to have them set-aside.

The Cawley Report "Steering A New Course — Strategy for a Restructured, Sustainable and Profitable Irish Seafood Industry 2007 — 2013" sets out a clear strategy to maximise the value of quotas focused on increasing the value of seafood at every stage from the net to the fork. I am satisfied that the effective implementation of this Strategy, which the Government has endorsed, will deliver a sustainable, profitable and self-reliant industry that will maximise its long term contribution to coastal communities. I am fully committed to working efficiently and effectively with the industry to deliver this strategy.