Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 65: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide a progress report on the delivery of the EU Commission fisheries fuel aid package agreed in July 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11947/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The fisheries fuel aid package referred to is the EU Regulation 744/2008 instituting a temporary specific action aiming to promote the restructuring of the European Community fishing fleets affected by the high fuel prices. This was introduced to mitigate against the impacts that the escalating fuel prices had on the European fishing fleet in 2008.

Recent developments in the global fuel market have resulted in cheaper fuel and a subsequent easing of the pressures on fishermen. The crisis however did highlight areas within our fleet that needed further attention.

Ireland response to the adoption of the package of emergency measures was to submit a detailed, costed set of proposals to the EU Commission on 12th September 2008. In keeping with our previous and consistent stance on the matter, and supported by the Commission's policy document of 8 July 2008, these proposals sought additional EU funding of €32m to support the restructuring of the fishing fleet in line with the provisions of EU Regulation 744/2008.

We have pursued and continue to actively pursue the case at both Council and Commission level. The Irish Plan was the subject of a lengthy bilateral meeting at official level with the European Commission in Brussels on the 30th September. At that meeting the current situation of the Irish Fishing industry was outlined to the Commission and it was made clear that the Plan cannot be implemented unless the Commission secures and allocates the necessary funding to Ireland.

I have continued to press for Commission proposals to enable the implementation of the plan in Ireland at an early date. The Commission's stated position is for Member States to re-engineer their Fisheries Operational Programmes to give priorities to the new measures catered for in the emergency package. This is not an option for Ireland as we have already committed €32m of our total EFF allocation to the current decommissioning scheme which does not allow for any further flexibility with the remaining measures proposed. We will continue to push Ireland's case at every available forum with a view to the Commission bringing forward firm proposals to provide additional funds that will enable the full implementation of the plan.