Michael Collins
Cork South-West · Independent Ireland · Ireland
“This matter has been raised twice already this morning, but it is hugely important. I will make a personal appeal to the Taoiseach regarding Skyclarys and the further delay that has now arisen. Yesterday, Emma O'Shea came to Leinster House from west Cork with her mother, father and brother.”
“Another huge problem which normally arises in August is that relating to school buses. Parents have no way to get their children to school because of the nearest school rule. The current and previous programmes for Government contain promises that this will be done away with, but nothing has happened. The rule needs to be abolished.”
“Every parent knows that September has become one of the most expensive months of the year. While free schoolbooks are welcome, many families now face growing costs for other items. Parents are being asked to purchase laptops that cost €400 or more, make increased payments for school transport and pay charges to cover examination fees.”
“Either 25 children are left without a school place this September, or two senior infants classes are merged into one class of 34 children. Does the Minister of State agree that schools should not be punished for helping to solve an enrolment crisis? Will he immediately sanction the additional teaching posts required for St.”
“Education should not be measured by means of the distance someone lives from school, and school transport should not be measured on that basis either. I want to raise a matter that Councillor Bill Clear brought to my attention. It is a very serious issue regarding St. Corban’s National School in Naas in County Kildare.”
“I was chairperson of a board of management and know the difficulties that schools face just because they are one or two children short. That can be made up as the year goes on but it is a crisis that Councillor Clear finds unacceptable.”
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“On a point of order, I asked the Minister of State to clarify whether Barry Andrews, Regina Doherty or Seán Kelly will be voting with Ireland or voting with Ursula in a couple of weeks' time. The Minister of State has to give clarity on that.”
“The game is over for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. If they do not use the whip on their MEPs this week then each and every one of them will be culpable for this disaster they are bringing on this country. Perhaps in his summing up the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, will tell us what Regina Doherty, Seán Kelly and Barry Andrews are doing. Are they with the people of Ireland or are they with Ursula? That is what I want to know.”
“Would you God damn hell wake up at the other side of that building? The bottom line is that we have 14 MEPs going out to Europe in two or three weeks' time and they have a pen to say "Yes" or a pen to say "No". The problem we have is that Seán Kelly does not know what he wants to do. He is sitting on a ditch and looking over the ditch at Mercs and perks for Ursula. We have Regina Doherty saying she is going to vote for it. We have Barry Andrews saying he is going to vote for it. In the name of God, what kind of political parties are you across the way? Have you any standards at all? Have you any respect for the people? Do you look at the thousands who turned up the other day and the concerns they have for their industry and the health of their people? The Government parties have MEPs worried about Mercs and perks. It is time to wake up.”
“An Garda Síochána estimated that 27,000 people turned up last Saturday. There were 3,750 tractors there. Thankfully, there were no incidents. These are community people who want to protect the health of people. They were not all farmers; there were business people and people who have an interest in the health of the citizens of their country. There has been serious confusion coming from the Government with regard to Mercosur. We did not have a clear picture last week. The Taoiseach was saying one thing and the Minister, Deputy Heydon, was saying another. No one knew what was going to happen until the last minute. The Government was not gathering support when it should have been doing so. We have lost the fish and the Government is almost on the verge of losing the beef and poultry along with it.”
“We support protecting children but the right approach is targeted measures such as a ban on sales to under-18s, restrictions on flavours and packaging, enforcing existing nicotine rules and cracking down on illegal imports, and not punishing adult users. Our position is simple. Right aim; wrong tool. Protect children, yes, but stop piling on bans, taxes and bureaucracy. Respect adult choice and focus on real health threats, such as Mercosur.”
“Adding more tax will push them back to the cigarettes. This is just another cost for Irish people dressed up as a protection. If the Government wants to protect citizens, it should start by protecting our own food supply. Let us talk about the cost. It will cost €3.1 million per year to enforce this ban, plus the 40 new enforcement posts. Instead of creating more bureaucracy, why not invest in education? Teach young people about the dangers of vaping and smoking. That is where prevention starts. We in Independent Ireland are critical of policies that hit ordinary people and small businesses such as Green-style taxes, over-regulation and extra public sector staffing. This Bill has all four: a new tax, a full ban, new inspection powers and annual costs. That is overkill.”
“This is presented as a public health measure but with everything happening in Ireland right now, I believe our time would be better spent elsewhere. We are on the verge of allowing carcinogenic meat and poultry products into this country under a thing called the Mercosur deal. This is a real public health crisis and one that could affect every single person in Ireland for generations, yet there is barely a word from the Government or media. If this Government truly cares about health it, should be sending a very strong message to Europe, "No to Mercosur". The Government should be ensuring all of its own MEPs agree to "No to Mercosur" and no to poisoning the Irish people. Back to vapes, taxing vape liquid is another mistake. Most adults who buy these products are trying to quit smoking.”
“Tens of thousands of people in this country smoke cigarettes. Tens of thousands of people use vapes. Those are the facts. A lot of these people do so as a bit of a relaxant. We have to understand that is a fact in this country. We tend to think that we should ban everything. This Bill proposes a full ban on the sale of single-use vapes and when it comes to children, I fully agree that no child should ever have access to these products. Adults are a different matter, though. Adults know the risks. Many adults use vapes as a substitute for smoking, which we all know is harmful. Adults are exactly that - adults - and they should have the freedom to make their own choices. We cannot keep sliding into a nanny state where the Government dictates every personal decision.”
“We need an urgent debate this week with the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment regarding An Post. The announcement that the cost of a stamp is increasing from €1.60 to €1.80 comes at a time when post offices are closing all over the country and the current contracts are not stacking up. A post office in Durrus in my constituency is closing on Friday. The Government cannot stand idly by as we leave rural post offices to close one by one.”
“I have very little time. This has to be appealed in every court in our land and in Europe. We have to stand up to them. It is up to the Minister of State. It is up to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. It is up to this Government to now stand with Irish fishermen. If it does not, and we see that happen in the next month, it will be an abject failure and the Government will be to blame.”
“My final questions relate to why some countries with so little to lose stood against us. In the Minister of State's meeting with his Polish colleague, did he give an explanation as to why for the first time in 49 years, they chose in 2026 to deny our right to invoke the Hague preferences?”
“Independent Ireland calls on the Minister of State and his Department to immediately look at the socio-economic impact this will have, not just on Ireland's seafood industry but on each category of vessel, based on its size, and the individual opportunities for the coming year, 2026. Now that it is established without doubt that the Common Fisheries Policy has failed in its legal obligations to the people of Ireland, will the Minister of State seek compensation from Europe for our coastal communities that are most dependent on these stocks, and that have been decimated by the fleets pillaging our waters? Does he believe, as I do, that we have the right to retain a viable, sustainable fishing industry ,or is it the right of mainland member states to take so much that it destroys the resource itself?”
“What action did he take at Council level once it became clear that Ireland's legal safeguard was being denied? Is it not true that foreign countries are already benefiting to the tune of 85% of the stocks in Ireland's waters, and will this now increase? This is what I call theft: the application of the Hague preferences was to prevent a disproportionate impact on Ireland's pelagic and small-scale fishing fleets. Now we know the cuts are even greater, what will he do for our fishermen to stop them from losing their livelihoods and Ireland from losing its fish supply?”
“Will he challenge this wrong, once and for all, and put his own people first? Does he and this Government even want us to have a fishing fleet going forward? Given that the Hague preferences were formally invoked by Ireland, lawfully blocked by a minority number of four member states, and resulted in severe quota losses for Irish fishing communities, will the Minister of State accept the political responsibility for the outcome of those negotiations and outline what he will do differently to ensure this situation is reversed? Will the Minister of State confirm that he and his officials formally invoked the Hague preferences? Could he tell us who blocked them, the minority of four member states and the cost that will fall on our country?”
“All agreed that this was necessary to ensure once again the relative stability for the island nations that gave access to the other foreign fleets into their sovereign waters. The Minister of State should stop me if I am wrong. This was the reality for 49 years until last Friday. Now Belgian beam trawlers can leave their ports, enter Irish waters and take home 400 tonnes of black sole, while our fishermen get 28 tonnes. Like I said, it is déjà vu : English fishermen after Brexit got 99% of Irish sea herring and we got a miserable 1%. I have some questions for the Minister of State. Will he stand with Irish fishermen and their families that go back generations? They have lost loved ones to the sea. Will he stand with those in our coastal communities who earn their living from the fish landed by our hard-working, brave and honest fishermen?”
“They said we would have to be given the opportunity to build and grow. Was that not nice of them? They set quotas to protect our abundant seas and that changed to total allowable catch, limiting each fleet to their historic records. They promised us it would ensure we would all have plenty of fish if we followed the rules. Relative stability was created. This was introduced for the benefit of coastal communities. Figures and percentages were set. They told us that when the number of fish increased, the fishermen would get to catch more. Ireland and England were given an assurance that if the plentiful stocks decreased due to overfishing, we would not suffer the same cuts as those visiting our waters, especially when they had the bigger share to begin with. They called this the Hague preferences.”
“In 1976, our so-called friends in Europe set about drafting a plan, which is now known as the Common Fisheries Policy. They told us that we must regulate the fishing fleets of Europe to - guess what - protect these valuable fish stocks. They asked each country to record the fish that every fisherman was catching, while the others were already hoovering up the fish in our waters. The result was that we the Irish, with our seas full of our fish, made it so our fishermen stayed at home. We did not need to travel very far to fill our boats, only 12 miles out from our rugged shoreline. Foreign vessels were also fishing and filling their boats and sailing home out of Irish fishing grounds with Irish fish. When the figures that were collected were analysed, Ireland had little or nothing in comparison to the visiting fleets, which had it all.”
“Déjà vu is once again upon us, whereby the Christmas present from Europe is the betrayal of our coastal communities. I was here when Michel Barnier gave us his word that Ireland would get a fair deal from the Brexit negotiations. As we know, he was the one who threw us under the bus. I think he has done it again this time. What we seem to forget is that the Government of the day signed up to it warning that a "No" deal was worse, but the problem for our coastal communities is that it could not be worse. We were an island nation rich with fish. Once fish were swimming up to the rocks all around our island, supporting the thousands of fishing families. Boats were on every island and filling coastal piers. This was the picture when we joined Europe in 1973.”
“I said it during Brexit when Barnier - to be honest, he does not deserve to be called by his first name - pulled a fast stroke on us. I pleaded with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste at the time to enter into negotiations on behalf of Ireland. It should have been the leadership of this country and not thrown over to a Frenchman to look after Irish fishing interests. We knew where that was going to go, as we all found out. I thank the Ceann Comhairle and the Chief Whip for allowing this debate, which I immediately sought on Friday night. We sent an e-mail and in fairness, over the weekend the Chief Whip and the Ceann Comhairle worked towards making sure that there was a debate and to give people a chance. Like I said yesterday, even the dogs in the street know that Ireland has always been badly treated by Europe when it comes to its fishermen.”
“I was very pleased when the Minister of State was appointed to his role with responsibility for fisheries. I always see huge potential in regard to fishing and I always felt fishers were thrown to the dogs but I welcomed his appointment. I know he was out there fighting his case last week but the question must be asked as to where the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister were. The Minister of State cannot stand on his own in these incredibly difficult times. When the power of the mighty is hanging like a rod over his head, it is impossible to do this on his own. They were missing in action. That is basically what happened. I know the Minister of State cannot agree with me, but they are the facts. I have been saying it for long enough here.”
“I welcome to the Gallery representatives of the fishing sector. I see Patrick Murphy, whom I met on Sunday, and others there. They have always had the heart of the fisherman at the forefront of their efforts. Fishers are going through a dreadful situation. The previous speaker referred to a sellout but, in fact, we did not sell out; what we had was taken away from us. If we got something for it, that might be something, but we did not. We find ourselves in a farcical situation and it has been heading that way for a long time. It has been going that way since I came into the House ten years ago. We have been turning a blind eye to small things like fuel rebates. We were calling for action and asking the Minister to look for it in Europe. No chance of that. Why bother? We are letting on to be the weak link in Europe in relation to fishing.”
“Wherever it has been imposed on farming communities it has driven families off their land, stripped them of ownership and handed agriculture over to the state in so-called communal systems that resulted in starvation and the deaths of millions. That is the ideology of Deputy Coppinger. That is what this so-called Bill is based on, anti-farmer, anti-rural poisonous ideology that wants to punish those who work to own land and work that land for the betterment of themselves and their communities. Rural Ireland does not take lectures from extremists.”
“What does it say about her commitment when she had no difficulty in objecting to a development of over 200 apartments in her own city? This type of objection is devastating to communities where people across the country are desperate for a roof over their heads. We are told she cares about communities, yet she denigrates the Common Agricultural Policy, a policy designed to keep farm families afloat, families who have worked the same land for decades, often centuries. She dismisses it as part of what she calls a global capitalist system of agriculture. That kind of ideological thinking has a long and dark history.”
“This is the reality of nature when it is not properly managed. Rural Ireland is a managed landscape and always has been. Without management, it does not magically balance itself but deteriorates. We only have to look at the deer crisis to see the consequences. Animals are roaming the roads. Cars are destroyed and families are put at risk with no accountability. Do we really want the same situation with foxes? Do we want sick and starving animals wandering roadways and no longer fit to source food? Do we want them dying slow deaths that serve no one? City-based TDs, who know nothing about this reality, are attacking rural traditions and practices that exist precisely to keep the balance and protect both animals and people. One of the loudest anti-rural voices is that of Deputy Coppinger, who claims to speak for communities.”
“This issue once again exposes a growing divide in the country between those who live and work in rural Ireland and those who comment on it from a distance with little understanding of what life is actually like on the ground in rural Ireland. Foxes are a real and present danger to livestock and livelihoods and, increasingly, to public safety. Only last week, there were reports of a woman in Cavan being attacked by a fox. That is not something that rural families ever expected to hear. It is, however, a warning of what happens when the wildlife population is allowed to spiral out of control. Farmers see the consequences every year. Lambs are slaughtered during the lambing season. Hens are ripped limb from limb in a single night. Years of careful breeding are wiped out without warning.”
“There are extra costs across the board and nothing for people in the budget other than €10 for pensioners and people on disabilities. A lot of people have lost €1,400 in disability supports this year, which is an astonishing attack on them. There is time for the Government to wake up and act.”
“By saying it is deferring the charges and kicking the can down the road to March or April, does that mean the Government will bring forward this proposed charge again? It has been resoundingly rejected by the public and the majority of the political system in this House. The Government needs to be very clear on what will happen. Every TD I have heard speaking has said that. The Government must make up its mind. Is it going ahead with this? It must tell the truth and stop codding people. This is an outrageous attack on elderly people. I know of a lady who cares for her 82-year-old mother who has Alzheimer's disease. A blister pack charge means she is facing extra costs of up to €40 a month that she cannot afford. Where will this money come from?”
“She had to clean it up herself in the end but that situation should never have arisen. In this case, once again, the pharmacy union should be not in that situation. Pharmacists are being dragged here and there having to explain to the people to whom they have been so good and caring down through the years that this is a cost outside their control. Blister packs are not a luxury but the Government seems to think people only want them because they are a cool thing to have. In fact, they might be the difference as to whether a patient with dementia or a very serious illness can control their medication every day without missing it and then collapsing and having to go into hospital, which ends up being a terrible cost to the State and their family. I do not understand where this is coming from.”
“The charges will affect people with dementia and their carers and people with Parkinson's disease. Taking their medication on time every time is very important for those patients. This really is an attack on the elderly. People are facing a range of little charges, including prescription charges and GP blood test charges. Elderly people are telling me they cannot get to see a chiropodist. A gentleman who came to my clinic in Clonakilty the other day said he is finding it very difficult to get a chiropodist appointment. All these hidden withdrawals of services and hidden charges are attacks on people. The most annoying thing is that we have a pharmacy union that is putting up with this nonsense from the Government. The Minister announced free HRT medication for women and then threw it to the pharmacies to clean up the dirty mess.”
“The best way to describe this situation is that we are now right at the bottom of the barrel in society. In the UK, the Labour Party Government brought in cuts in funeral cost supports and there was an absolute outcry. Elderly people in the UK are absolutely disgusted their Government did that. What the Government here is doing with blister pack charges is shocking. It is attacking the most vulnerable in society, namely, the elderly, the disabled and the sick. The Government knows that is whom it is attacking. It is why it is slipping in a kind of underhanded charge. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. In fairness, it calls a spade a spade. The blister packs we are talking about cost anything from €20 to €50 and even more for complex medications.”
“Is the Minister going to throw crumbs to the Irish fishermen and expect they are going to take it? It is a wipe-out. I have met people with trawlers that have spent €6 million, €8 million, €10 million and €12 million to put a good trawler out to sea to bring Irish fish back into our own country. Now, we have Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries robbing our Irish fish and we have allowed them. We have patted them on the back, we have praised them and we have given them a great honour to do that. It is time to stand up and prove a budget is for the people. It has not been for the people for the past number of years, and certainly the last budget was one of the most scandalous budgets ever in the State.”
“They say they have two great incomes coming into their house but they cannot survive. There is something wrong when you hear that and when people honestly admit they have two good incomes coming into the home but they still cannot survive. There is something seriously wrong. Childcare costs are astronomical and are out of control. We have sat by idly in here and allowed that to happen. There is talk about a rainy day fund. I sincerely hope the Government has €110 million because that is what is costing fisheries because of that stinking, rotten deal done in Europe last Friday. Fishermen are going to be €112 million out of pocket. I plead with the Minister to find that €112 million because it looks like the national Exchequer is going to have to pay that money.”
“God almighty, the Minister would not expect his land to be taken from him and neither would I. We expect that there is a right for these genuine, hardworking farming people to have their land swiped from under them, whether they like it or not that. That is where the wastage of money is coming into play. The people of Kilcrohane, the Sheep's Head Peninsula, the Sheep's Head way and the Beara Way were never dictated to. There was never a CPO put on lands, only a lovely walkway made with consultation. TII can now dictate by wagging a CPO in front of somebody. We have to cop on. This is Ireland in 2025 and we have to respect the people who live in it and pay their taxes in it. We have a lot of discussions regarding childcare and many families are in dire straits. What frustrates me is what people are genuinely saying when I meet them.”
“There are suggestions and solutions from the community and we are begging. That is not being delivered. We look then at where money is being spent and wasted. Millions of euro are being wasted by TII on greenways without any consultation but only dictation to landowners. I have seen it in west Cork. There is no such thing as sitting down to talk with a landowner. It will take a 20 m tar roadway through their farm whether they like it or not. Jesus, you would not expect that in a dictator's world but we are accepting it in this country. The Minister is the man with his fingers on the purse and he has to ask whether this money is being spent properly. Are these landowners being dictated to? In the Cooley Peninsula, 1,000 people attended a meeting two weeks ago in a fury about their land being taken from them.”
“Tomorrow morning, we will read an EPA report saying what the farmers are doing wrong but it will not point the finger at the reality of the crisis. The reality of the crisis is that wastewater treatment tanks are bursting raw sewage into our beautiful waters. Those are the facts, and I am raw from saying it. I spent the past number of months looking to have a meeting about Adrigole. We are supposed to have a meeting but I do not see any date. People have had 14 disruptions in their water the past number of months. It is unfair for any community to have to put up with that. No one should expect that in a modern society. We cannot find out when the council will come in and dig up the pipe, give them the funding and deliver a proper water structure for the people of Adrigole.”
“We would let the tractor and the lorry driver drive on the N71 and spend an hour or hour and a half getting from A to B while not holding up the motorist who is trying to get on with their business. There needs to be a real awakening as to what is going on in the real world. I will move on to wastewater. We need more housing in west Cork and the wastewater is in an absolutely scandalous condition. We have Shannonvale, which was brought up by Councillor Daniel Sexton last week. There is black water for people to drink in Shannonvale and Clonakilty. Uisce Éireann is not accountable. It does not have to answer questions. It is the same in Rosscarbery, Dunmanway, Ballydehob and Goleen. I could go on.”
“If you cannot deliver rail, you cannot connect and you cannot deliver proper road structure. There is something wrong somewhere and someone is not talking. Our politicians in west Cork, who are in government, whether from Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, are not delivering for the people of west Cork. That is the bottom line. Year in, year out, and I am here since 2016, I have asked for passing bays. I have not asked for flyovers or anything dramatic. I am asking for common sense passing bays and they are refused continuously. God almighty, if they would step aside for six-months, we would have it done. We would need no help. We would put in a machine and get the goddamn roads widened and let people get on with their business.”
“The AIRO report a number of years ago was drawn up by an independent body for Cork County Council and made it clear that Cork County Council was getting the lowest amount of money for roads and for so many other budgets. Nothing has changed. On roads all the way from Innishannon to Skibbereen you cannot pass a car. I hear the Minister goes to Kinsale on and off for meetings and things like that. You cannot pass a car. There are no passing bays. People are pulling the hair out their heads. This leads to accidents, unfortunately. It is time to spend money on roads. We do not have rail. That should surely mean extra would be put into roads in those areas if they do not have rail. We do not even have a sign for 150 km of roadway to rail in west Cork. Then there is this thing called Connecting Ireland, which is a farce.”
“They do not know whether or not they will have a light on for Christmas. That is a serious blow to anybody, regardless of what they think people have. I would appreciate it if the Government looked at that again. There is no point saying there are lots of pluses in the budget if the Government turns around and hits the most vulnerable in society like those with disabilities and those who cannot pay bills. I looked at a lot of expenditure and announcements in the budget. I do not see any announcement for roads like the N71 in west Cork, the R585 or the R586, the Innishannon bypass, the northern or southern Bandon relief road, the Bantry bypass or the Clonakilty bypass. There is nothing - zero.”
“That is an astonishing attack on a lot of elderly people and people who have severe disabilities who cannot fight back. They have seen energy costs increase and the blister pack cost coming on board. It is another hit. These people are suffering. They are mainly elderly people who need a little respect and do not need to be picked on but that is what the Government has done. The blister pack thing is outrageous and we will debate it later on. Energy credits were given last year, prior to the budget and the general election. They gave people hope that the Government was giving them serious consideration and was sympathetic towards their needs but by God it sure showed this time that it did not care now that the election was over. There are 300,000 people in serious debt and they desperately need the Government to intervene.”
“It is scandalous to think that these parties are so out of touch. I know businesses the length and breadth of west Cork and Ireland, because I have met a lot of them, are furious with the Social Democrats, the Labour Party and People Before Profit who are attacking them continuously for getting that chance of survival. Even though I wish it was done straight away, it happened during the year. They needed that and the Government has given them that chance and that is something we all have to welcome and not attack. They keep throwing that decrease in with the McDonald's carry on. It is an outrageous attack on small businesses to peg them to that sector and it is not fair. I have raised disability here. Those with disabilities lost €1,400 in the last budget.”
“I will start with some criticism I heard about the Government's introduction of a lower rate for the hospitality sector. I welcome that from the bottom of my heart because I know what it means. It tells you how out of touch with reality the Social Democrats, the Labour Party and People Before Profit are that they do not understand the benefit of the VAT rate going down from 13% to 9%. It is an astonishing attack on ordinary small businesses throughout the country that they come in here time and again condemning the Government for lowering that VAT rate when we know, as do the people on the ground, that it will mean the very survival of a lot of cafes throughout the country. I welcome that, as I always have. I pushed for it also. I will not stand up here and be critical about it.”
“Could we have statements this week on Mercosur? It is of very serious concern. We saw what happened with fisheries last Friday. We cannot have that happen with agriculture. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael MEPs are more or less making statements saying they are going to support it, and we want the rest of Europe to go our way. We need statements on that.”
“Will it challenge this corrupt decision by legal means or will it stand by while Dutch super-trawlers plunder our waters and Irish coastal communities are wiped off the map? Let us have no more excuses. Will the Government fight or will it surrender?”
“Let us be honest: a task force is political theatre. It will not restore quotas, it will not save jobs and it will not undo the betrayal of last Friday. Ireland has been stripped of the Hague preferences, with our share cut to less than 9% while others walked away with 91%. That is piracy, not partnership. I met many trawler owners in Castletownbere on Sunday. They tell me that 30 articulated lorries come into Castletownbere every week and leave it with Irish fish out of Belgian, Spanish, French, UK and German trawlers. They are robbing our Irish fish in our Irish water and taking it into their countries while we stand idly by and accept this. I am not asking for another committee or report. Will the Government take this fight to the highest court possible?”
“Those involved blocked the Hague preferences and secured their own access. They did all of that under the banner of European solidarity. Solidarity - I hate to say it - my arse; this is piracy dressed up as policy. I say this plainly. Ireland has been betrayed. The Common Fisheries Policy is corrupt. It is designed to serve the interests of the big players, such as the Netherlands, France and Germany, while crushing small coastal nations like ourselves. What do we get from our Government? Silence and platitudes. There is no fight, no backbone and no defence of our people. Where were the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the senior Minister last weekend? The Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, was there, but where were the rest? We need a full scale political response. We need to challenge this injustice at every level. We need to-----”
“We are staring down the barrel of a loss of over €100 million in quota value, a hit of more than €200 million to wider seafood sector and more than 2,500 jobs gone from communities that have already been gutted by years of EU mismanagement and Government indifference. Let us not forget that this is not the first time. We were sold out during the Brexit negotiations. A deal struck at Christmas that year gutted our industry, and now we are here again. We depended on Barnier that time and he stuck us on the double. Now, it is another Christmas, another blow, another betrayal. The amount of fish we will be allowed to catch in 2026 in the waters off our coast will be less than 9%, while others have increased their shares to 91% as a result of this action. Where is relative stability now?”
“In return, we were promised a measure of fairness, a safeguard called the Hague preferences. That was our crumb of comfort when cuts were imposed. Last Friday, that safeguard was ripped away. It was blocked deliberately by the Netherlands, backed by France, Germany and, shamefully, Poland, which had pledged support but which turned its back when it mattered. The Netherlands, with its factory ships and super-trawlers, already dominates our waters. It control fleets across Europe. It has now ensured its dominance will continue, while Irish fishermen are left to rot. The countries involved have declared war on the Irish fishing fleet. Let us talk facts. Belgian beam trawlers will haul 400 tonnes of black sole from Irish waters in 2026. Irish fishermen will catch just 28 tonnes in our own waters.”
“To start with, we in Independent Ireland extend our sincere sympathies to the families of all those who lost their lives in Australia in the past few days as a result of the Bondi Beach tragedy. What happened last Friday in Brussels was nothing short of a disgrace. It was a betrayal of the Irish fishing industry and of every costal community in this country. Ireland has been stabbed in the back by those who call themselves our European partners. The outcome of the EU Fisheries Council negotiations for 2026 quotas represents a black day for Ireland. It is a day that will never be forgotten by our fisherman. For decades, Ireland has played by the rules. Since 1973, we have opened our rich waters to Europe under the Common Fisheries Policy. We gave access and we sacrificed.”
“The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, SFPA, prosecuted Sean Ward (Fish Exports) Limited, a Killybegs seafood company, for allegedly tampering with weighing scales in 2015. The case collapsed after ten years in late 2025, with the judge citing a complete lack of evidence. This has led to a huge industry backlash against the SFPA for what many have called harassment, wasted resources and damaged reputations, and a call for major reform. In light of this judgment in the SFPA v. Sean Ward (Fish Exports) Limited case, will this Government ask the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, to review all current weighing pending prosecutions against fishermen from Castletownbere to Killybegs?”