Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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216. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of detections made of undocumented non-European Union migrant fishing crews in Irish ports in 2016; and the number of prosecutions ensued thereafter. [21496/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Immediately following the publication of claims of possible exploitation of undocumented migrant workers on Irish fishing trawlers in the Guardian newspaper, an interdepartmental task force was established by the Government to examine the specific issues identified in the newspaper report and to make recommendations on appropriate actions. Reflecting the complexities of the issues raised and the existing work ongoing concerning migrant workers across a number of sectors, the task force consisted of high level representatives from the Departments of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; Justice and Equality; Transport, Tourism and Sport; Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Social Protection; Defence; the Workplace Relations Commission; the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service; the Marine Survey Office; the Health and Safety Authority; the Revenue Commissioners; the Attorney General’s Office; An Garda Síochána; BIM; the Naval Service and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority.

The report of the Government’s interdepartmental Task Force on Non-EEA Workers in the Irish Fishing Industry 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. My Department’s role relates solely to hosting the Central Depository, the purpose of which is to register the contracts and supporting documentation under the Scheme in order to ensure that the cap of 500 is not exceeded.

In order to promote effective monitoring and enforcement of the Scheme, the Task Force also recommended that a Memorandum of Understanding be put in place by the relevant State enforcement bodies. The Department of Employment, Jobs and Innovation has the lead role in this group. My Department does not have a role in enforcement of employment or immigration law and is a party to the MOU only in so far as the Central Depository is concerned.