Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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314. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for a detailed update on preparations underway for the next round of fisheries quota negotiations, including stakeholder engagement, key priorities for Ireland and concerns raised by the sector. [21909/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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On an annual basis, my Department completes a Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) to examine the overall impacts the possible fishing opportunities for the following year could have on the sustainability of the fishing sector from a biological, economic and social perspective.

The SIA is based on the advice on fish stocks published by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The ICES advice also forms the basis of the scientific advice used by the European Commission in proposing Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and informs the EU's negotiating position for consultations with Third Countries, such as the UK.

The SIA involves a public consultation process along with expert contributions from the Marine Institute (MI) and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

Stakeholders, including representatives of the Fishing Industry and environmental NGOs, will then be invited to discuss the assessment before the SIA is presented to the Oireachtas Committee for Fisheries and Marine Affairs.

My colleague, Minister of State Dooley, has met with the fisheries representative organisations in February to listen to their key concerns and priorities. Minister Dooley also outlined his commitment to positively engage with industry to build a sustainable future for our seafood sector and coastal communities and has committed to a series of industry engagements over the coming months.