Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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2470. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of meetings either he or his officials had with the Minister for Foreign Affairs in advance of that Minister’s meeting with the French President and German Chancellor in December 2020 in the critical period running up to the Brexit Agreement of 24 December 2020; the dates of these briefings and copies of any documents shared at the meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18676/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department worked very closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs throughout the entire Brexit negotiation process, as part of the 'whole-of-Government' approach to Brexit.

I understand that the Minister for Foreign Affairs did not meet either the French President or the German Chancellor in December 2020.

However, in the period leading up to the conclusion of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement on Christmas Eve 2020, Minister Coveney and I held a meeting on 9th December with representatives of the Irish fishing industry. We briefed them on the state of play in the negotiations, and heard their concerns in relation to the potential challenges facing the industry from 1st January 2021.

When the Trade and Cooperation Agreement was reached, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I, together with the Taoiseach, met fishing industry representatives again on 28th December. I reassured them that I fully understood their concerns in relation to reductions in quota shares, and undertook to work with the sector to develop the necessary supports to address these impacts.