Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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850. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will extend the deadline for the coming into force of the Sea Fisheries Act 2022; and if the deadline set by his Department of 3 May 2022 will be extended for masters and skippers who are Irish citizens to apply for acceptance of their application for registration onto the Irish Fishing Master Register. [22764/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I signed the Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Commencement) Order 2022 on 21 April. This followed on from the well publicised passage of the Sea Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 through the Oireachtas. The Act provides, inter alia, a framework for creating a register of masters and creating a points system where such masters are determined to have been involved in serious infringements within the framework of the Common Fisheries Policy.

The Deputy is aware from the debates on the passage of the Act that without it, the State is in breech of it's legal obligations.

Accordingly I determined that 3rd May is an appropriate date to commence the Act so as not to prolong this situation. In the meantime my Department took the proactive step in early April to write to sea fishing boat licence holders and advise them of the need for masters to register ahead of 3rd May in order to be compliant if taking charge of a sea-fishing boat on and from that date. The register remains open and there is no deadline for taking in applications.