Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if further efforts to protect Irish fishing rights will be re-negotiated following the ratification of the Lisbon treaty; the way the principle of subsidiarity will be of benefit to the Irish fishing community within the framework of the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19524/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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In practical terms, the Reform Treaty will not alter the arrangements that currently apply in the fisheries sector to any great extent other than applying the principle of co-decision in certain areas for the first time. Fisheries are now included in the Articles on the Common Agricultural Policy and references to the Common Agricultural Policy will be deemed to include fisheries. The Reform Treaty introduces the principle of qualified majority voting to certain new areas but the principle of qualified majority voting is already enshrined in the fisheries sector for some considerable time. While there will be some alterations to the thresholds for reaching a qualified majority under the new arrangements, these alterations will not have significant implications for decision-making. The reality is that most decisions on fisheries are arrived at by consensus.

However the Treaty will provide a greater degree of democracy in the decision-making process and the European Parliament will have a greater say in future EU legislation on fisheries with the exception of a small number of dossiers related to fixing of Total Allowable Catches and quotas. Our own Oireachtas also will have an enhanced role under the Lisbon Treaty along with the national Parliaments of the other Member States and these changes apply equally to the fisheries sector. National parliaments will have a longer period of time to scrutinise proposals. They will also have the power to object to a draft proposal on the grounds that it breaches the principle of subsidiarity.

However, in relation to fisheries, a significant exception will be the fixing and allocation of fishing opportunities, which will be dealt with by the Council of Ministers on a proposal from the European Commission, as is the current process. Total Allowable Catches and Quotas for the majority of commercial fish stocks in European waters are proposed by the Commission each year for the following year, taking account of scientific evidence on the state of each stock, the respective management measures in place, and the catches taken during the year. These proposals are the subject of extensive negotiations at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council each December. During the negotiating process, and indeed throughout the year, I will be taking a strong line in defence of Ireland's shares of the various stocks, as have my predecessors.

The annual process of setting TACs and quotas is a very important part of the management of fish stocks. Decisions in relation to quotas are necessarily made on a short-term basis and must react to ever-changing circumstances. While there are moves to "front load" this process, in order to facilitate earlier decision making each year, it will not be directly affected by the Lisbon Treaty. Under the Common Fisheries Policy, each Member State is responsible for the control of fishing activities within its own Exclusive Economic Zone waters and for the development of its own fishing industry and this will continue to be the case into the future.