Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 344: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the Programme for Government to ensure the complete work of fleet restructuring, to create a world class fleet ideally suited to the stocks, species and sustainable practices of the modern fisheries sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18277/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Substantial progress has been made in the area of fleet restructuring with a new Decommissioning scheme launched in February of this year. This scheme will to deliver on the commitments for fleet restructuring contained in the Programme for Government with €42 million committed to fund this scheme in 2008 and 2009.

The scheme is a voluntary scheme which will permanently remove fishing vessels from Ireland's fishing fleet particularly the older and larger vessels. The removal of these vessels will increase the quotas available to the more modern competitive fishing vessels and to smaller vessels and will ensure a more sustainable and profitable fleet.

Further decommissioning will be considered as necessary over the period of the National Development Programme 2007-2013.