Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 350: 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 that voluntary fishing vessel decommissioning on the scale envisaged in the Cawley report will be fully implemented and will be focused on the larger whitefish vessels over 18 meters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18283/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Launch of the Decommissioning scheme in February of this year is a key component in the delivery of the commitment for a voluntary fishing vessel Decommissioning scheme contained in the Programme for Government. This voluntary scheme will remove older and larger fishing vessels with mixed catches of fish such as cod, haddock, monkfish mackerel and herring. 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. The scheme is open to vessels owners in respect of fishing vessels 10 years or more in age and 18 metres or more in overall length. Vessels must be operational at the time of decommissioning and have a recent track record of fishing. Funding to the value of €42 million has been committed to fund this scheme in 2008 and 2009. A total of 69 applications have been received for the scheme, which closed on the 30 April. Applications will now be assessed and prioritised in line with the requirements of the scheme and available funding. Further decommissioning will be considered as necessary over the period of the National Development Programme 2007-2013.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 351: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the programme for Government to implement an observer programme on Irish fishing vessels involved in fisheries which carry a high risk of cetacean by-catches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18284/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) monitors cetacean by-catches in fisheries in line with the EU Regulations which requires all Member States to implement observer schemes onboard their fishing vessels in order to monitor and gather data on incidental catches of cetaceans. The programme targets, in particular, fisheries where problems with cetacean by-catches are perceived to exist — such as gillnet fisheries and the pair fishery for albacore tuna — although all relevant fisheries are being monitored. Ireland has supplied observer data for 2005 and 2006 to the European Commission. The Irish data for 2007 is due to be submitted in the near future.