Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

176. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to introduce a single boat payment to provide income support for sea fishermen related to their fishing boats. [52429/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department's €240 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Operational Programme 2014-20 is the vehicle for financial supports to the seafood sector up to 2021 and is co-funded by the Exchequer and the European Union.  The Programme delivers a wide range of supports for aquaculture, fisheries and seafood processing through a suite of 15 schemes. 

The EMFF Regulation (508/2014) does not provide any legal basis for a single boat payment or for any other form of income supports for operators in the sector.  Rather, the EMFF allows aid for specific investment projects and for compensation for specific losses in certain instances. 

While the Common Fisheries Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy are similar in having their respective regulations providing for development aid to the sectors, they differ in that for the seafood sector there is no equivalent to the agriculture direct payment Regulation (1307/2013).