Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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3386. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Belgian FMVs are allowed land fish in Ireland without weighing as part of the EU Commission approved control programme between Ireland and Belgium; if this agreement allows for fish to be landed at non-designated ports such as Dún Laoghaire; if so, the location this agreement is set out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40101/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has received a Commission Implementing Decision revoking the approval of the Irish control plan submitted for the weighing of fishery products in accordance with Article 61(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.

I should advise the Deputy that the monitoring and control of fishing vessels within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone are law enforcement matters for the Irish control authorities. Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006, all operational issues of this nature are exclusively for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service. I am expressly precluded from getting involved in operational matters such as those referred to by the Deputy.

In order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have made enquiries of the SFPA and am advised that with the exception below, all vessels regardless of their nationality are required to weigh fish on landing prior to transport away from the place of landing.

By way of exception from this requirement, fish to be transported to registered establishments in either France or Belgium may be weighed in France or Belgium under provisions in place under Common Control Programs. These regulations apply to vessels from all Member States landing into Irish ports.

I have referred the Deputy's question requesting further operational details on this matter to the SFPA for attention and direct reply.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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3387. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the Seafood Sector Taskforce; the bodies which are represented on the Taskforce; the way in which coastal and island communities and inshore fishers are represented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40160/21]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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3388. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will publish the minutes of the Seafood Sector Taskforce on his Department’s website. [40161/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 3387 and 3388 together.

In March 2021, I established a Seafood Sector Task Force to examine the negative impacts of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the UK on Ireland's fishing fleet and on related coastal communities and to recommend mitigation measures to me that could be taken to provide supports for development and restructuring in order to ensure a profitable and sustainable fishing fleet and to identify opportunities for jobs and economic activity in coastal communities dependent on fishing.

The Task Force itself is chaired by Aiden Cotter who is supported by steering group members Margaret Daly and Michéal O’Cinneide. Committee members are detailed in the table below. BIM acts as secretariat to the Task Force. Any questions relating to minutes of the Task Force meetings should be addressed to the secretariat .

In addition to the significant industry representation on the Task Force, including from coastal and island communities and inshore fishers, the Task Force also undertook a public consultation which ran until the 22nd April to ensure that all concerned stakeholders could put forward submissions or observations. The public consultation resulted in 27 submissions to the Task Force.

On 9th June I received an Interim Report of the Task Force which recommends the implementation, on a voluntary basis, of a temporary fleet tie-up scheme for certain segments of the fishing fleet, to mitigate the loss of income in 2021 for these fleets arising from the TCA quota reductions. The Interim Report recommends that this scheme be funded under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. A State Aid approval from the European Commission is also required.

The Final Report, due later this year, will include other Task Force proposals to support our fishing sector and our coastal communities that are dependent on fishing.

I await receipt of the Final Report and will give due consideration to any proposals made by the Task Force.

In addition to the Steering Group the task force committee is made up of participants from the following organisations:

Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation

Irish Fish Producers Organisation

Irish South & West Fishermen’s Organisation

Irish South & East Fishermen’s Organisation

Irish Islands Marine Resource Producer Organisation

National Inshore Fisheries Forum

Clogherhead Fishermen’s Cooperative

Galway & Aran Fishermen’s Cooperative

Castletownbere Fishermen’s Cooperative

Foyle Fishermen’s Cooperative

Irish Fish Processors & Exporters Organisation

Irish farmers Association (aquaculture branch)

Fisheries Local Action Groups

Irish Local Development Network (ILDN)

Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (secretariat)

Bord Bia

Enterprise Ireland

Fáilte Ireland

Local Government Management Agency (two coastal local authority representatives)

Údarás na Gaeltachta