James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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483. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to protect the Wexford fisheries industry to offset threats posed by Brexit. [43013/17]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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484. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to ensure that post Brexit negotiations in relation to fisheries are linked with the wider trade negotiations. [43014/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 483 and 484 together.

Fisheries is, and will remain, a high priority for Ireland in the Brexit negotiations.  I am determined to ensure that fisheries remain high on the Brexit agenda in the EU and that the interests of Ireland's fishing communities are fully protected.  This, of course, includes communities in Wexford.

I fully agree with the Deputy’s assessment in identifying the importance of ensuring that fisheries does not become isolated from the overall negotiations. This will be a key factor in protecting the interests of our fishing industry in the months and years ahead. I am glad to say that Michel Barnier has fully agreed with this assessment and other directly impacted Member States are expressing a similar position.   

Existing access arrangements and percentage shares of fish stocks have been agreed by all EU Member States, including the UK, over many years and were most recently affirmed in 2014 when the current Common Fisheries Policy came into force. I see no basis whatsoever for the kind of reordering of the current arrangements apparently sought by some in the UK.

If and when the UK finally leaves the EU they should equally retain their current shares and entitlements.  We are not asking that they lose their rights of access to EU waters or face any reductions in their current shares and see no reason why we should lose ours.

As the Deputy will be aware, there has been an enormous amount of work on this issue in terms of analysing potential impacts for our fishing industries under the various possible scenarios since well before the UK referendum. This work has been carried out by my Department, the Marine Institute and BIM  in close cooperation with the fishing industry.

At EU level there have been, and will continue to be, regular contacts with the Barnier Task Force, Fisheries Commissioner Vella and like minded Member States at all levels. In all of these contacts I have stressed the importance of a unified EU front, our determination to maintain all of our current rights and the absolute necessity to avoid and separation of fisheries issues from the wider negotiations.  

In conclusion, I would like to assure the Deputy that I will continue to work to have fisheries inextricably linked to the overall negotiations.  I will also be unequivocal in opposing any dilution of our existing EU quota shares, including protecting the benefit to Ireland of the Hague Preferences, and any limitations on our existing rights of access.