Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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2481. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason representatives for crewmen and women are absent from the recently established Seafood Sector Taskforce; if he will commit to expanding the current taskforce to ensure the views of crewmen and women are represented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18969/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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In February 2021, I announced the establishment of a Seafood Sector Taskforce to examine the implications of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and make recommendations to me on appropriate mitigation measures. The Taskforce has been working since 10th March and has now met on three occasions.

There are 28 members of the Taskforce, including representatives of the fisheries, aquaculture and processing sectors and of coastal communities. While the fisheries sector is not the only sector impacted by the departure of the UK from the European Union and by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, I recognise that it is the most impacted and so 10 of the members of the Taskforce are nominees of representative bodies in the fisheries sector.

Given that the work of the Taskforce is well underway and given the scale of representation of the fisheries sector, I do not propose to add any further members to the Taskforce.