Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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413. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine of the 500 atypical worker permits that are being made available to the owners of Irish fishing vessels in order that they may regularise the status of undocumented non-European Union migrant crew, how many have so far been applied for, the ports in which the applicant vessel owners are based, the number of fishing crew at each port, and the country of origin of the migrant fishing crew in tabular form. [1458/16]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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414. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine subsequent to the establishment of the atypical worker permission mechanism, established to allow the owners of Irish fishing vessels regularise the status of undocumented non-European Union migrant crew, if he has received any representations seeking to increase the number of permits available beyond 500 or any other amendment to the scheme and if so, to provide details in his reply. [1459/16]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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426. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with respect to the European Union Common Fisheries Policy, the measures that can be taken to curtail the presence in Irish waters of so-called super-trawlers, given their negative impact on fish stocks, and if he will outline what measures are available to the Naval Service and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority to enforce compliance on said vessels relating to catch quotas and equipment. [1543/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 413, 414 and 426 together.

The report of the Government’s inter-departmental Task Force on Non-EEA Workers in the Irish Fishing Industry, which I chaired, recommended the establishment of a sector-specific Atypical Worker Permission system which will provide a structured and transparent framework for the employment of non-EEA workers within defined segments of the Irish commercial sea-fishing fleet.

The Atypical Working Scheme is administered by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service of the Department of Justice and Equality. It is planned that the new arrangements for non-EEA workers in the Irish fishing industry to which the Deputy is referring will be operational very shortly. The Department of Justice and Equality has advised that no applications have yet been made.

The Task Force recognises the importance of employment in the fishing industry to Ireland’s coastal communities. Therefore, in recommending that the number of Atypical Worker Permissions under the new Scheme, which applies to non officers, be capped at 500, the Task Force was cognisant that any mechanism designed to assist with the employment of non-EEA workers should not impact unduly on the employment of local populations in coastal communities. The Task Force based the cap on employment data from the Marine Survey Office and BIM and took account of the longstanding sea-fishing boat licence condition that at least 50% of the crew on Irish fishing vessels are EU nationals.

The Task Force sought the views of representative groups, none of these groups sought an increase in the cap of 500 Atypical Worker Permissions in the submissions made.