Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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166. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will earmark or set aside some funding to compensate those who fish for a living due to the fact they have been unable to take out their boats for at least five weeks in some instances and in many cases their boats have been in harbour since before Christmas due to dangerous and stormy weather conditions; the supports available to these citizens in view of the fact that they have had no income and no recourse to earning income during this time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6977/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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On 7 February 2014, I received a letter from the Irish Fish Producers Organisation requesting a compensation scheme be put in place to compensate fishermen for financial losses suffered due to their being tied up because of the prolonged spell of bad weather. Along with all my colleagues in Government I am acutely aware of the ferocity of the winter storms which have resulted in widespread damage right around the coast and also the ongoing stormy weather since which has impacted on the fishing industry. I am conscious of the damage to the many small Local Authority piers and harbours right around the coast, of the loss of fishing gear by many inshore fishermen and of the impact in terms of loss of income on the fishing fleet and its crews as highlighted by the IFPO letter.

A key priority for me, in allocating any limited resources that might become available, is the repair of storm damage to fisheries and aquaculture landing places. Such repairs to harbours, piers and slipways are essential to facilitate the fishing and aquaculture segments in the continuation of their normal operations. Another priority for consideration, subject to any available resources, is to possibly assist inshore fishermen who have lost static fishing gear in the recent weather events.

In considering any possible response to the situation of the fishing fleet and its crews I must take account of the fact that EU Law limits the options. Any financial assistance provided by Government to the seafood sector must always be considered in terms of what is permissible under EU State Aid rules. It is clear that under Council Regulation 1198/2006 on the European Fisheries Fund, that while it provides for compensation for temporary cessation of fishing activities due to natural disasters and other exceptional occurrences, article 24 of the Regulation confines that aid to the period 2007-2013. There are no other provisions in the EFF Regulation available to me to assist those fishermen identified by the IFPO letter. The proposed Regulation on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, which is to replace the European Fisheries Fund, and is to cover the period 2014 – 2020, has not yet been adopted in law. There is therefore a hiatus in terms of State Aid rules permitting aid to fishermen tied up for prolonged periods because of the stormy weather.

I understand that a self employed fisherman or a person engaged in share fishing (crew) may, in certain circumstances, qualify for assistance under schemes administered by the Department of Social Protection, including for example Fish Assist. The Deputy will be able to obtain further information on this from my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection.