Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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197. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on negotiations with the British government to reinstate access for the Irish fishing fleet to its traditional fishing grounds at Rockall; and the role that the EU Commission can play in resolving this dispute ahead of the review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, considering the estimated total financial loss of tens of millions of Euro to the Irish fishing industry since the blockade has been enforced by the UK authorities. [18848/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Reaching an agreement on issues relating to Rockall remains an important issue of the agenda for the government and we are in ongoing contact with the relevant Scottish and UK authorities in this regard.

I and officials in my Department continue to work with the Minister and officials in the Department for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine on this matter.

The matter has been raised with the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, and the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson, during recent meetings, including at the British-Irish Council Summit in Edinburgh last December, with agreement that we would continue to work together to seek to seek a resolution. We maintain regular contact with the Scottish and UK authorities to this end.

The government is seeking to address the issues involved, through this engagement, reflecting the longstanding fisheries patterns in the area. We hope that a resolution - which is in all of our mutual interests - can soon be found to the issues involved.

Our officials also remain in contact with the European Commission on all matters relating to the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.