Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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488. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will amend the voluntary permanent cessation scheme to ensure that applicants do not face deductions in their offer amount based on payments they previously received under the Brexit tie-up scheme. [5756/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, I established the Seafood Task Force to examine the implications of the EU/UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA) for the Fishing Industry and Coastal Communities and to consider initiatives and make recommendations to address those implications. The Task Force had among its members representatives from across the seafood sector including Producer Organisations and other fisheries stakeholders. Their participation ensured that the industry shaped the recommendations according to their needs and the difficulties that they faced.

The Task Force report made a specific recommendation in respect of a voluntary permanent cessation scheme. As part of its recommendation, the Task Force also noted that any payments under the Brexit Temporary Cessation Scheme would have to be deducted from the decommission payment. They included this condition due to it being specified in guidance from the EU Commission on permanent cessation. These details were published by the Task Force in its report, Navigating Change, in October 2021.

The Brexit Voluntary Permanent Cessation Scheme was developed based on the recommendation and matched the rates, terms and methodology specified in the Seafood Task Force report. Following a State Aid decision on the scheme by the EU Commission, I announced the scheme in July 2022 along with a budget of €60 million. The scheme was subsequently published by BIM along with all terms and conditions.

Appreciating the significance of the decision any individual fisher would make should they chose to participate in the scheme, the deadline for applications was extended to 18 November 2022. This was to allow time for fishers to evaluate their own circumstances and the terms of the scheme should they voluntarily chose to apply and accept any offer made.

Based on an analysis of the profile of applicants by BIM, in order to ensure all eligible applicants could avail of the scheme if they chose to do so and be awarded the maximum amount possible under the terms of the scheme, I secured additional funding. This increase ensured that all 57 eligible applicants would receive a combined total of almost €75 million in payments should they accept offers made under the scheme.

In order to ensure fairness and transparency to all those who applied for the scheme and for those who did not the Task Force recommendation was adhered to as was EU State Aid guidance. These terms have been transparent from the outset.