David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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243. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way his Department is supporting inshore fishermen in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23380/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Currently the primary source of funding for the seafood sector in Ireland is the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) (2021-2027), which follows on from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) (2014 - 2020). EMFAF has a budget allocation of €258 million over the lifetime of the programme.

Funding supports are currently available to inshore fishers under the Fleet Safety Scheme and the Seafood Training Scheme, both administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

My Department has been working with BIM to progress further funding schemes under EMFAF, including a scheme for inshore fishers. The Inshore Fisheries Scheme has been finalised and has been circulated to the EMFAF Monitoring Committee for adoption by the end of May. Once it is adopted, the scheme will be implemented by BIM.

This scheme will offer enhanced grant aid rates of between 80% and 100% for onboard and onshore investment by Small Scale Coastal Fishers (SSCF). It will also provide funding to support participation by inshore fishers (both SSCF and Non-SSCF) in inshore fisheries conservation measures.

Non-SSCF inshore fishers will have access to grant aid to fund onboard investment under the Sustainable Fisheries Scheme, which is also currently with the EMFAF Monitoring Committee for adoption.

In addition to the Inshore Fisheries Scheme, the Seafood Training Scheme and the Sustainable Fisheries Scheme mentioned above, inshore fishers will have access to a number of other EMFAF schemes which are also with the Monitoring Committee for adoption such as:

• the Young Fishers Scheme, which provides assistance for people under 40 years of age to purchase their first vessel
• the Knowledge Gateway Scheme which supports research activities, and provides for industry involvement in same
• the Capacity Building Scheme which supports the dissemination of relevant information to industry and the attendance of industry stakeholders at relevant events