Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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174. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the degree to which he sees opportunities to develop the fishing industry in the various areas throughout the country that are primarily dependant on the industry in terms of employment opportunities; his plans for the future maximisation of opportunities for such communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24422/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's €240 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme is the vehicle for fostering the sustainable development of our fisheries and wider seafood sectors.  The Programme is expected to close in 2021 when it is anticipated that it will have successfully exhausted its budget.  The Programme's strategy for developing the fishing sector over the course of its implementation since 2016 has been to focus on three priorities, namely (1) CFP Implementation, (2) Reducing the Impact of Fisheries on the Marine Environment and (3) Implementing the Small Scale Coastal Fisheries Action Plan.  Implementation of this strategy for development of fisheries was supported with a budget allocation of €55 million.  A key element of the strategy was to support measures that enhance the value of catch and that reduce input costs for fishermen.  This was implemented through the EMFF Sustainable Fisheries Scheme which provided grants to fishermen for investment on board fishing vessels in areas such as adding value to catch, energy efficiency and enhancing quality of catch. Separately for inshore fishing vessels a dedicated Inshore Fisheries Conservation Scheme was implemented with a budget of €6 million and offers grants for value adding investments onshore, advisory services, fisheries management, and for organisation of the sector through the establishment of the regional and national inshore fisheries forums.

The Programme for Government strongly commits to supporting the fisheries and wider seafood sector in achieving its potential, with a commitment to protecting the interests of our fishing sector in EU negotiations with the UK on a Free Trade Agreement.  It commits to supporting the inshore fishing sector with greater marketing and promotional capacity through facilitating the establishment of a fisheries producer organisation for the inshore sector.  Earlier this year, my Department published new Recognition Criteria and associated Guidelines for seafood producer organisations, which in particular specify new criteria designed to make it easier for inshore fishermen to meet the standards for producer organisations.  Two inshore fisheries groups have since submitted applications and these are under consideration at present.  Separately, the Programme for Government commits to continuing strategic investment in our fishery harbour infrastructure to attract increased foreign landings into Irish ports, driving the development of our processing sector, adding value to catch and creating jobs for our fishing communities.

A new Operational Programme for the period 2021-27 is presently under preparation within my Department and will be launched next year.  This new programme will set the framework for supporting the further development of our fisheries and wider seafood sectors.  Earlier this year, my Department conducted a public consultation to get stakeholder views on investment needs for the period 2021-27 and received a good response from a wide array of stakeholders.  My Department also met bilaterally with key stakeholders to hear their views and that engagement is ongoing.  The information gathered in that exercise, including on the opportunities available to sustainably grow the sector, is informing my Department's work on preparing the new Programme and will ultimately influence the design of support schemes for the sector, to be rolled out from 2021 onwards.