Pat the Cope Gallagher
Donegal · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I pose this question: who is in charge? Is it the Minister of State, the officials in the Department or the SFPA? I will explain the simplicity of all this.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting my Topical Issue. I did not think last time I raised this matter in the House that I would have to come back again. It is not one of the major problems in the Department, which has more to deal with.”
“This has a direct impact on access to the Chinese market. Transfers are made to Holland on Saturday for onward shipment to the premium markets in China where maximum prices can be attained for Irish products. Those landing into Burtonport are deprived of that.”
“There is an insinuation that a fishery officer has to be there every time a vessel is landed. I will pose the question at a later stage and I want the details. Is there a fishery officer at every port when fish are being landed? There is not. I am around long around to know that.”
“I am disappointed to learn that a business case has to be made to open Burtonport for a few hours. When looking at the map of Donegal, there is no designated port from Greencastle to Killybegs where fishermen can land on Saturdays. It is putting people's lives of risks and depriving them of accessing the Chinese market.”
“It happened when a father of a child had to be taken into Burtonport. An initiative has to be taken. There is no way this should be allowed to continue, whether it is the Minister of State, the Department or the SFPA. I had this out with the former executive chairman of the SFPA before his retirement.”
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“When its officials attend, they have to spend some money in preparing to come there and the amount of money we are talking is peanuts. A predecessor of the Minister of State's was able to designate ports in north Donegal but ignored west Donegal for some reason. To leave all of that area without a designated port on Saturdays deprives fishermen of going into that lucrative market.”
“There is an insinuation that a fishery officer has to be there every time a vessel is landed. I will pose the question at a later stage and I want the details. Is there a fishery officer at every port when fish are being landed? There is not. I am around long around to know that. There is somebody in the Minister of State's Department or in the SFPA who is being difficult. They are being intransigent about this. They are discriminating against the people I represent. I strongly believe that this must be resolved soon rather than later. I think I am the only one left in this House from the class of 1981. I am here all of these years and I never had to come in to make a case like this for something that is so simple. We talk about money; I understand if the SFPA is coming to make a case to the fisheries committee.”
“I am disappointed to learn that a business case has to be made to open Burtonport for a few hours. When looking at the map of Donegal, there is no designated port from Greencastle to Killybegs where fishermen can land on Saturdays. It is putting people's lives of risks and depriving them of accessing the Chinese market. It makes no sense at all. It makes no sense to have Burtonport linked to Greencastle, which is an hour and a half away, whereas it should be linked to Killybegs, which is 48 km and 45 minutes away. As the Minister of State knows, fishery officers are not laid off if there are no landings in Killybegs during the summer. There are 20 fishery officers there and all they have to do is slip down the back road from Killybegs to Ardara to Burtonport, and they do not have to come.”
“It happened when a father of a child had to be taken into Burtonport. An initiative has to be taken. There is no way this should be allowed to continue, whether it is the Minister of State, the Department or the SFPA. I had this out with the former executive chairman of the SFPA before his retirement. What steps has the Minister of State taken to replace that person? Some weeks afterwards, has he taken steps to put somebody there in an acting capacity? Let me in conclusion make the charge of discrimination and vindictiveness, and pose the question again: who is in charge?”
“This has a direct impact on access to the Chinese market. Transfers are made to Holland on Saturday for onward shipment to the premium markets in China where maximum prices can be attained for Irish products. Those landing into Burtonport are deprived of that. The restricted hours and lack of Saturday landings are inconsistent with the arrangements in the other designated ports. To illustrate the impact, a recent landing had to be made at Burtonport on a Saturday when a crew member had to return to Burtonport to bring his child to hospital. That was not considered a force majeure . They very kindly said - I am being sarcastic when I say that, "We're only warning you. We're not going to charge you." There are plenty of force majeure landings into Dún Laoghaire by Belgian fleets. Where is the SFPA when this is happening?”
“I pose this question: who is in charge? Is it the Minister of State, the officials in the Department or the SFPA? I will explain the simplicity of all this. As I outlined to the Minister of State at the time, Greencastle, Rathmullen and Burtonport were originally designated as landing ports for Northern Ireland-registered vessels landing crab into the State, with Bunagee, Malin and Glengad in the north of the county added later - not by the SFPA but by ministerial order. Burtonport was still ignored. All designated ports except Burtonport allow landings from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, and until 5 p.m. on Saturday. Burtonport is restricted to 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, with no Saturday landings permitted. This places vessels landing in Burtonport at a clear disadvantage. They simply seek parity with other ports.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting my Topical Issue. I did not think last time I raised this matter in the House that I would have to come back again. It is not one of the major problems in the Department, which has more to deal with. However, whether it is the Department, the Minister of State or the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, SFPA, they are unable to resolve this. I will make the charge immediately and explain it: it is total discrimination against the people I represent in Burtonport. When Deputy Dooley assumed the office of Minister of State with responsibility for the marine and made his first visit to Donegal, he met with a fisherman from Burtonport who uses the port. He listened attentively to him and I thank him for that, but that was over a year and a half ago and still no progress has been made.”
“I am calling on all concerned, including the drug company, the HSE and the Department, to ensure these children can avail of this treatment as soon as possible.”
“What is difficult to understand is that givinostat is available in most EU countries. Whatever is going to be decided now must be fast-tracked. The Minister of State referred to the receipt of a commercial offer on Friday, 8 May. In the next few weeks, a decision must be taken. The ironic thing about this is that Aaron's family lives in Laghy, close to the Border and the O'Sullivan family lives in Ballybofey, close to the Border. The children on the other side of the Border, in Fermanagh, Tyrone or wherever are availing of this. It is vital that there is no discrimination as far as these children are concerned. We are pleading with the Minister of State and with the Minister, who is pragmatic - we have had dealings with her about issues in Donegal. I hope a decision can be taken soon. The question of finance should not be an issue.”
“I would also say to the drug company involved, which is making exorbitant profits, that it should reduce the prices and work with the Department and the HSE to make the drug available sooner rather than later.”
“We would like to think that his brother Diarmuid and the Langan family would have the opportunity of obtaining this drug as well. We know the cost of it can seem rather high but we cannot put a cost on the life of a child. They are suffering and the families are suffering. The mental torture for families with this condition is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year as they care for their children. There are about 100 or so in the country. It is incumbent on the Minister, the HSE and the Department to ensure that this drug is made available as soon as possible. There is a question of being ambulatory. They have to be able to move when they start the drug so the clock is ticking. It is vitally important that a positive decision is taken as soon as possible and that the drugs are made available.”
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to raise this important issue. My colleague Deputy Doherty has outlined how it is affecting two families in Donegal. The European Medicines Agency has approved this drug for DMD last year. Now, together with, I am sure, all colleagues in the House, I am anxious that the Department would exert pressure on the HSE to make this drug available to these children. An example of the success of this drug is that Nathan O'Sullivan, who Deputy Doherty mentioned, has been on this drug for a number of years. His mother took him to the UK. He took part in the trial relating to the drug. The trial was extremely successful, and his life has been prolonged. He leads a full life. He works with the local GAA club as a statistician and has his own car.”
“Somebody will decide who qualifies and who does not. There has to be flexibility. It is not just about a physical disability alone. Other factors have to be taken into consideration. I hope we are not back in the House on the second week of May debating this. I plead with the Minister of State to impress upon the officials that this matter is vital to the individuals concerned. It is urgent because families cannot progress without the provision being signed into law. They are left in limbo and they are waiting for clarity. The ongoing delays are causing stress, uncertainty and disruption to their daily lives. This has already been a multi-year issue. I hope this is the last time it will be discussed in the House. I hope that when the guidelines and regulations are signed off, we will not be back here again requesting that they be amended.”
“I thank the Minister for the response but all that is new in it is that the regulations are in the final stages of drafting and will be available to the Minister to sign within the next couple of weeks. Back in committee last year, I was told completion would be in quarter 1, but it is now quarter 2. I was told completion would be in the middle of April. This is not what my constituents want to hear. I want something definite. I appreciate that officials will be drafting but all hands have to be on deck over the next couple of weeks. By the end of this month, or certainly by the early days of May, the regulations have to be finalised. It does not mean that those who have already received planning permission for a side-by-side build can start immediately. They have to make the application.”
“The signing off of the regulations must be finalised without delay and the legislation must be signed off so families can finally move forward with certainty, security and dignity. These families have waited long enough. What they need now is action.”
“I warn the Minister of State to ensure he speaks with his officials as the regulations are due in a matter of days. Let there be flexibility. The measures must be practical, compassionate and grounded in the lived realities of those they are intended to support. This is now a matter of urgency. This should have been done months ago. A number of families are currently unable to move forward due to the ongoing delays and they remain in limbo. They are facing continued stress, uncertainty and disruption to their daily lives, not to mention the psychological effects of all of this. I acknowledge the ongoing commitment of my local authority, Donegal County Council, and the crucial role it plays in the defective concrete blocks remediation scheme. What is required now is delivery.”
“It is necessary to allow them to live in their defective homes and to build a new home side by side and then to transfer the necessary equipment into the new home. Those people could not go down the town and find a house where this equipment could be provided. It is crucial that the scheme is inclusive and reflects the full spectrum of disability, not only physical disability but intellectual disabilities, and also neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD, which can significantly impact a person's ability to cope with disruption, displacement and changes to their environment. For that reason, there must be sufficient flexibility within the regulations that will underpin the scheme. A narrow or overly rigid approach risks excluding families who genuinely need this option. That cannot be allowed to happen.”
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the issue of side-by-side housing within the defective concrete blocks remediation scheme, particularly in light of where we now stand with the legislation having been progressed. We had amendments towards the end of last year. We had regulations on the increase from €420,000 to €462,000 and the extension of time to 130 weeks but, lo and behold, there were no regulations to deal with side-by-side buildings. What is that? It is not simply an optional extra, it is an essential support for many families, particularly for those who have a person with a disability who requires specialised equipment within the home. For these householders the prospect of vacating their home during demolition and reconstruction is just not viable.”
“Ironically, people have to travel with British Airways to get across from Dublin. Perhaps the Taoiseach could raise it with Aer Lingus, or his Minister could raise it with it.”
“I want to again raise the issue of Aer Lingus taking a unilateral decision to insist that those travelling from the Republic to mainland Great Britain must have a passport. This is creating all sorts of problems for Irish people. There is a presumption that everybody has a passport. I know many people in my county who do not have passports but travel to the UK regularly. To take a practical example, if some of those people have a relative who dies in the UK, they have to get a passport. As the Taoiseach knows, people cannot get an emergency passport if it is the first time. Many of those did not have passports. It is necessary for Aer Lingus to be more practical and to at least give people an opportunity. It is wrong that the company should have done this. Ryanair always had this policy.”
“I do not know whether or not this has been done but I again recommend that a letter of protest be sent by the Minister of State or, if necessary, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to express our disappointment at the way we were treated last year. Let us be positive, look ahead and say that the Minister of State has our support with a view to ensuring that the task force will take all the elements into consideration. I believe some time, but not that much, will be needed to come up with proposals before they are finalised. Everybody in the industry should have an input into that.”
“What occurred in Brussels before Christmas breaches 50 years of good practice and good faith. How can we and the sector have confidence in the Commission? I have heard some people suggest that we should await the review of the CFP. I would not be holding my breath. I have been there and done that at the fisheries committee when I was its vice president. I led delegations to Iceland. There was a time I thought that the Commission and Commissioner Damanaki were representing Iceland. She was doing more to support Iceland than she was to represent the country she was appointed to represent as a member of the Commission. I would have to make the political charge that the Danish presidency was not impartial and did not assist Ireland.”
“Fishermen invest heavily. I hope the task force that the Minister of State has established with the support of his colleagues in government is not a box-ticking exercise. There must be positive results coming from that. The industry has gone through very difficult times, but this is the worst period I have seen in my lifetime. There is a real question as to how the European Commission allowed four countries to cancel the Hague preferences is a real question. Where the Minister of State finds himself is a lonely place to be. I have been there and done that. You are fighting an uphill battle. The Minister of State tried his utmost to secure the support of other countries to ensure that the Hague preferences would not be cancelled. The Commission has a duty to protect small member states.”
“-----who told me many times that they did not want to exceed the quotas because then they were selling black fish, which brings down the price of the others. They are honourable people who get very little funding from the State when they go out to buy their boats and provide employment. It is so sad to look at the ports where I worked and processed fish. I processed fish in ports from Clogherhead to Dunmore East to Cobh to Castletownbere and up the coast to Rossaveal, Killybegs and Burtonport and on the Isle of Man. The people I saw were all hard-working individuals, but there is an attitude to them in the Department and at SFPA level. Any Deputy who is a member of the committee will realise that there seems to be such an attitude towards fishermen. As long as I am here, I will stand up for the interests of fishermen.”
“We will have an opportunity to do so again in the committee. There seems to be an anti-fisherman attitude in this country. Regardless of whether it is the Department or the SFPA, they see fishermen as rogues. I have been in this industry all my life and I will stand up in any place on any platform and put my hand on my heart to say that they are decent, honourable people-----”
“The coastal counties and areas where there is no alternative source of employment have been decimated. We have to ensure that the task force looks after the interests of all those who have been affected. Let me now make reference to the bureaucracy that exists in this country. Between landing, fish processing and exporting, we are the only country in the EU where someone has to complete 14 sets of documents in order to declare returns. Everything is now on computers, and they have to do that physically from the time that they get in. Even the drivers have to be computer literate. They have to do that when they get into the trucks. We are the only country that does this. How can we say it is a Common Fisheries Policy when other countries do not have to do this? That is a question to be answered by the SFPA.”
“When I was in my office, I listened to Deputy Mac Lochlainn speak about the big countries. I knew all of those people. I phoned them and they said "Well, this is business". In fairness, their countries made the case and they have the large percentage of the TACs and quotas. The task force established by the Minister of State must step up to the challenge. I have been involved in the fishing sector since I was a student working in Burtonport. Working in it helped me through college. From there, I progressed to managing the factory in Killybegs. We set up a fish canning factory in Dungloe. I have been involved in fishing all my life, but this is the worst year I have ever experienced. This matter could have been dealt with better if we had support in Europe, but there was no support.”
“He has to work with the alliances that are there in order to try and convince the European Commission that we should not have to accept a 70% reduction while the countries to which I refer only have to accept a reduction of 48%. That is the advice that came from ICES. In all the years that I have been going to and coming back from Brussels, never once did I experience something where the proposals for TACs and quotas proposed by ICES became the actual measures. There was always room for manoeuvre. Before we left Dublin, we knew that it would not be the proposal but a percentage of that. That did not change this year. What happened? The big countries, the Commission and, I have to make a political charge here, the Commissioner threw little Ireland under the bus. It was wrong of them to do that.”
“That brings me to the tax and quotas this year and the reduction in mackerel of 70%. It defies belief that 70% was recommended by ICES for the coastal states but, on the other hand, there was a 48% secondary proposal for Iceland, Norway, the Faroes and the UK. That makes no sense. It does not say a lot for the European negotiators that they allowed this to happen, but all is not yet lost. I know from experience that the TACs and quotas have to be written in stone by 31 March, so we have another four to five weeks to do that. The Minister of State made the case yesterday at the Council meeting. He must continue to make it.”
“I can blame him, but I can also blame the Government of the day. I recommended that we should veto Brexit. It might have been a big call, but if we threatened to veto Brexit, we would have had a different outcome. Reference was made to the Hague preferences. For many years I attended the council of fisheries meetings in Brussels, particularly the attacks on quotas. I was a Member of the European Parliament and a full member of the fisheries committee. I waited over those nights and met with the industry. The Hague preferences were always and ever invoked. There were times we had to go away and negotiate. We are talking now about alliances. We could not form an alliance to ensure we could have the Hague preferences invoked. It would have been so important to us.”
“I welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate on the fishing sector. As we debate this today we look at the state of the fishing sector in Ireland due to the policies of various EU Commissions since Brexit. As a result of the Brexit deal, we lost 26% of the value of our quotas overnight in December 2020. For that we cannot point a finger at the Commission in total, but I can point a finger at former Commissioner Barnier, who came into this House. I have said this before, and I repeat it. He looked me straight in the eye when I said how concerned I was because he was negotiating on behalf of the Commission. He said we would have no difficulty with the fishing sector because fishing and trade would be inextricably linked. Perhaps I was naive enough to believe that when Brexit was signed off on.”
“Is the Taoiseach aware of the requirement that will come into place from 25 February whereby Irish nationals arriving by boat, plane or otherwise into the UK will be obliged to present a valid Irish passport? Heretofore, all that was necessary was an ID card. This may not be a matter for the Government of the UK; I think it is Aer Lingus that is involved. It is sharp practice to introduce this on 25 February, which is only days away, when many of our people do not have passports but go to the UK frequently. Could the Taoiseach make some representation to Aer Lingus?”
“Tá áthas orm an deis seo a fháil chun an cheist thábhachtach seo a phlé, cé gur phléigh muid í i gcoiste na n-iascach ag tús na seachtaine. Beidh muidne ag cur béime ar an cheist seo thar ceann thionscal na hiascaireachta, na n-iascairí, na monarchana, na ndaoine atá ag obair sna monarchana agus na ndaoine eile atá ag brath ar thionscal na hiascaireachta. Beimid ag coinneáil súil ghéar ar an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Timmy Dooley, agus ag tabhairt lán-tacaíochta dó agus é ag déanamh a dhícheall thar ceann an tionscail seo.”
“It is very unfair that a blocking minority of a few of the larger countries can block us from getting the Hague preferences. They have been in place since 1976 and never had to be invoked because, from 1976 to 1988, they were always included in the TAC. That was also the case from 1988 onwards. As I have said, I had experience of that in the past. Some will say that we will have the Presidency next year and that we will review the Common Fisheries Policy. We can talk about reviews but reviews will end up in the same percentage of the cake going to the various countries involved. The Minister of State mentioned something. I hope he will put it on the table. We should try it. However, I have seen reviews, including mid-term reviews, come and go without any iota of change being made.”
“I know it is all arranged in advance but, as I have said before, even though the agenda has been set, when the Taoiseach goes to Brussels tomorrow, he should raise this issue with his counterparts from all of the European states under any other business. That would indicate the importance of the matter. I have also tabled a question to the Taoiseach to find out who he contacted prior to the decision on fisheries because he did say that he would make efforts to make contact. I know what the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, has done. I will get a reply to a parliamentary question to him but I am also awaiting a reply from the Taoiseach as to whom he contacted. Did he contact the Danes, who hold the Presidency? What other countries did he contact? If that had happened, they may have taken a different attitude.”
“I blame the Government of the day and the Ministers of that time, whether the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Minister for the marine. They should never have allowed that to happen. They did it in the interests of mother Ireland but, for the second or perhaps umpteenth time, they threw the fishing sector under the bus. We entered the European Union in 1973. Of course, over the years, we have had major benefits as a result, culminating in the opening of a market of over 500 million people for the export of our goods and services, but who paid the price? The fishing industry paid the price then and it is now paying the price once more. There is a Council meeting tomorrow.”
“I also recommended that the Minister of State should get the banks involved, if possible. The banks must now freeze any repayments that fishermen are unable to pay. These will build up with interest and the banks have a duty to assist. They did enough damage over the years in making money available to those who possibly should not have got it in other sectors. The Minister of State should do that. I am glad to hear that he has recommended the appointment of a chairman and that all of the sectors will be involved. Those who are working in the factories should also be involved in this. I will give the Minister of State the facts. As a result of the Brexit deal, we lost 26% of the value of our quotas overnight in December 2020. I made reference to Michel Barnier, who was largely responsible for that, but I do not blame him alone.”
“I recommend that to the Minister of State. The Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, referred to the establishment of a working group. I know he worked very hard and made tremendous efforts. He met various ministers in Europe and contacted others. However, he was not successful. Those are the very same people who should be seen to help the smaller countries but they are taking advantage of the oceans off the coast of Ireland. The Minister of State is setting up a working group under the auspices of Food Vision 2030 to develop a framework of supports. As we have said all along, it is not funding we need but fish. We are now in a dire situation. All of those in the industry, whether producers, processors or those working in the factories, need to be represented.”
“Of course, my back was not out the door when my own party went into government in 2020. I will speak about one of the first things that was done. The file was presented to two Ministers, who were unfortunately only in place for a short time. I refer to Barry Cowen and the Minister, Deputy Dara Calleary. They did not deal with it. They wanted to find a political solution. However, the leader of my party, who was acting as Minister for fisheries in the intervening period, had the file put under his nose and signed it, overturning the earlier decision. I do not know who will be here the longest but I doubt whoever it is will ever see a statutory instrument being overturned in the way I pioneered. What was done was wrong and I cannot blame anyone but those in my party. We need to set up a new office to engage with the European Commission.”
“A closure for the horse mackerel spawning period needs to be considered to preserve stocks. When it comes to issues affecting fish stocks, we are not the culprits. As I referred to at the start, I am disappointed. Was it a question of efficiency or a deliberate decision to ignore the question I asked? I believe I speak for all of my colleagues on the fisheries committee when I say there should be a full and complete reform of the SFPA. That is urgently required. What is a minor offence in Europe is a criminal offence here. When I came back into this House again in 2016, I saw a statutory instrument affecting penalty points being laid before the House. I will not go into the detail but I pioneered the overturning of that instrument, a first in the history of this State and of this House. I got that through this House.”
“It should be remembered that, as of 1 January next, all of the records in our factories have to be maintained for a period of six months. As a matter of policy, Ireland must stop swapping our kilowatt days to other countries, especially in the whitefish segment. This allows those countries to increase their fishing efforts in our waters. A national policy needs to be put in place that provides better monitoring and oversight of Belgian beamers fishing in the Irish sea and Dutch factory ships fishing scad, horse mackerel, off the west coast. These vessels are recording zero bycatches. That is bizarre. How can they be recording that? These are the countries that are overfishing. Ireland needs to progress more conservation of areas, including the closure of nephrops grounds during spawning periods.”
“They will have to weigh each and every fish on the piers and at the harbours in the same way our people have to. It is a Common Fisheries Policy. I ask the Minister of State to direct as policy that all factory vessels fishing in our waters will be subject to the same CCTV recording as Irish vessels. When our fish are weighed, they are largely weighed in 10 kg boxes or blocks. They should be weighed under the same regulations on those vessels but what are those fishers doing? They are putting in 22 or 23 boxes so, instead of landing of 100%, they are landing 110% or 120%. It is not good enough. They are circumventing EU rules. We must ensure there are CCTV cameras on those vessels as well and that we have access to them.”
“We remember that they had to be invoked over the years, but that was only since 1988. The Hague preferences were included in the total allowed and the quotas for Ireland until 1988. After that, they had to be invoked. I recall in 2004 and 2006 having to travel to the UK in advance of Council meetings to prevail upon Ben Bradshaw, who had the fisheries portfolio at that time and with whom I had a good relationship. Things have changed so much since then. We are having difficulties with foreign vessels coming into this country. I want to demonstrate and I want the Minister of State to demonstrate to our European colleagues that Ireland takes its fishing seriously and takes conservation seriously. The Government needs to make it clear that no common control plan will be renewed for Belgium or France in 2026.”
“I took the opportunity to ring the office of Parlevliet in Holland - I have had the number for a long time - and I said I wanted to speak to them. They came back to me very quickly and gave me an email address. I will be expressing my views. They are in business, which means they are out to look after their own interests. I take the view that this is a monopoly. There should be some European commission that could look at how a company from a certain country can go into the countries at the other end of Europe - Poland and elsewhere - and have a quota that is much greater than that of many of large European states. There is a monopoly, whether it be Parlevliet, Van der Plas or Van der Zwan, all of which I knew in a former life. There is a misconception about the Hague preferences, which were first introduced in 1976.”
“It may have been a loss generally to the UK, but it is a major advantage to its fishing sector that it is now outside of the EU. The result of that is fish valued at hundreds of thousands of euro. When I met the former Commissioner in the dining room here afterwards, I put it to him that I was extremely concerned for the future of this sector. He told me, in his capacity as the chief negotiator between Europe and the UK, I could be absolutely sure that fish and trade would be inextricably linked, and fish would be protected. I was naive enough, even then, to believe the man. He obviously had a French hat on rather than the European hat of someone working in the interest of all the European countries. I listened to my Donegal colleague, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, naming a number of companies in Europe.”
“There is no overfishing by this country. Having been involved in fisheries in the processing sector, as Minister of State and as a TD for Donegal, I can put my hand on my heart and say I have never witnessed any quantity of blackfish being landed. The industry knows that if it lands blackfish, it reduces the value of all the other fish, so it is careful enough to ensure that does not happen. As others have pointed out, those who are responsible for this now are Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom. We sat in this Chamber and listened attentively to Michel Barnier when he spoke about Brexit and emphasised the importance of Ireland remaining in the EU and the loss to the UK of not remaining in the EU.”
“It would have been dealt with in the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for the marine, Deputy Dooley. I asked about the plans to review the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 in view of the appearance of the SFPA before the joint committee. I wanted an answer to my question about the review or overhaul of the Act. The reply I received did not deal with the question. Instead, it told me everything I already knew about the SFPA. I ask the Minister of State to insist that his staff in the Department deal with the question that is asked. I will leave it at that. This has been a very black week. It is going to be a black year for the Irish fishing sector in 2026 with the drastic reduction in the quotas of demersal and pelagic fish. Why are we in this position? Of course there is overfishing.”
“I recognise in the Gallery the representatives of the sector, including the Irish Fish Producers Organisation, IFPO; the Irish South and East Fish Producers Organisation, ISEFPO; and the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association, IFPEA. They are here this evening and that is significant. They are extremely concerned. They spent most of last week in Brussels. They were there when the Minister of State met with them prior to the Council and during the Council to brief them fully. I want to clear up this one. As a result of the presentation by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority, SFPA, at the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs a few weeks ago, I felt it necessary to table a question to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.”
“I feel strongly about this and I have been making a case to the Minister. I am making that case publicly tonight and I will continue to do so. I have never said - and I know the earlier statement was not a reflection on me - that the scheme is working. It is not working.”
“There is nothing wrong with doing that, even though there are not exceptional circumstances. That is one aspect of the proposal that I accept. I also believe there should be consistency when it comes to similar types of problems in other parts of the country. It is a serious situation for all of these families. Regarding the blocks, I voted with the Government on that issue. It is the same material going into the foundations that went in to the making of the blocks. It does not make sense. While I support a lot of what has been said, I have always been loyal to my party and I believe I can serve the people of Donegal better if I continue to work with the Minister, who I believe is genuine in trying to resolve this problem, rather than being a hero tonight and voting against my party, as one Deputy did many years ago before evaporating.”