Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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362. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current underspend in fisheries-related funding from the current European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, EMFF, programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10748/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's €240 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Programme 2014-20 is the principal source of development funding for our seafood sector. The Programme supports a wide variety of measures, including capital investment, innovation, professional advisory services, marketing and training.

Some €60,298,783 is allocated under the Programme to Priority 1 Sustainable Development of Fisheries. At present, €57,294,725 has been committed through grant offers and further approvals of €2,070,900 are pending, giving a total commitment rate of 98.5%. This leaves €933,152 presently uncommitted, although these funds are allocated to specific support schemes for the fishing sector.

It is anticipated that an EU Regulation establishing the new fund for the 2021-27 period, the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, will be enacted in April 2021. My Department has been working for some time on developing Ireland's Seafood Development Programme 2021-27 under the new EU Regulation, and I anticipate that it will be in place later this year.