Sarah O'Reilly
Agricultural Panel · Aontú · Ireland
“I support Senator Harmon in everything she has said. I want to raise the ongoing crisis in assessments of need and the impact this is having on families in Cavan and Monaghan. Earlier this year, I was helping a mother whose young son had been offered a place in an early intervention preschool.”
“In Cavan and Monaghan alone there are 578 overdue assessments. I commend Cara Darmody on continuing to shine a light on this issue. She is absolutely right when she says children are missing the window for early intervention. We all know that the earlier a child gets support, the better the outcome. These early years are precious.”
“Parents should not have to pay out of their own pocket because the State has failed to meet its own legal obligations. Disability teams continue to be short-staffed while many newly qualified therapists and psychologists cannot get the supervised placements and recognised experience they need to practise.”
“She has already had two near misses, as she calls them, that left her badly shaken. She describes Cavan's footpaths as being like a racetrack and says she dreads leaving her home now. That should not be the case. This is not just about an inconvenience.”
“I also welcome the delegation from Canada. They are very welcome. I have three sons living and working in Manitoba, Souris and Brandon. I bring up the issue of e-scooters. Imagine being afraid every time you step outside your own front door. That is a daily occurrence for a visually impaired woman living in Cavan town.”
“People had to take long detours just to get to school. The Department said that inspections carried out in March 26 found around 130 roads needed complete reconstruction, 440 had significant damage and several bridges could no longer be used. I believe those figures cover the entire country. My question is simple.”
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“There is something fundamentally wrong when we ask farmers to reduce emissions but then tax them more heavily for choosing a cleaner fuel. Hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, is a low-carbon biofuel. It is made from waste and byproducts from the food industry and it is not intended for human consumption. It works in existing diesel engines and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%. I spoke about EnergyCloud yesterday. It is incredibly frustrating when you have a really good, well-thought out project that has proved itself and then this issue arises. We are on track to miss our climate targets to 2030. In that context, the taxpayer will be picking up a bill of €28 billion in fees. We have a practical, ready-to-use solution for the agriculture sector, but there are no incentives to encourage farmers to use it.”
“I cannot support the Bill in its current form. I will be tabling amendments. Given how the Government guillotined the debate on the Bill in the Dáil, I do not believe the Minister is open to input. However, I hope to be proven wrong.”
“What measures are in place to prevent adult asylum seekers whose ages cannot be verified from being housed in the same accommodation as children? There are staff in Tusla who do not have the necessary qualifications to even work with children. The Government has offered no reassurances when it comes to increasing funding or staffing for Tusla, so how can we be expected to vote in favour of a Bill that does not prioritise the safety of vulnerable children? To see the Government vote against an amendment on community impact assessments last week was shocking. Our schools, GP services, housing supply and local infrastructure are already stretched in many areas. How could anyone oppose an assessment of services in an area before the opening of an asylum centre? That goes against all logical reasoning.”
“The Bill allows for an extension where complex issues of fact or law are in question. That is incredibly open-ended and likely to be abused. It sends out the message that Ireland is a light touch when it comes to illegal immigration. I am incredibly worried about the intention to increase reliance on Tusla for vulnerability assessments and the safeguarding of minors. Tusla is already under immense pressure in the context of its core child protection role. Since 2021, 121 cases of children under the case of Tusla and subjected to sexual abuse have been referred to the Garda. This is a systemic issue, but nothing has been done. The Government continues to outsource the care of vulnerable children to private, for-profit companies. What can go wrong? Things have gone wrong, and that set to continue.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in today. We must help those who are genuinely fleeing war or persecution, but those who are not genuine asylum seekers must be quickly identified and removed from the State. It is not fair to the Irish taxpayer to expect them to foot the bill for people seeking asylum even though they have no entitlement to it or where they are attempting to defraud the State. There is also the issue that has become a very lucrative spin-off industry, which is accommodation, and it is driven by huge profiteering. The timelines in this Bill are deeply concerning. Section 110 refers to a six-month examination period, yet allows for extensions that can extend the process to 21 months. Add in appeals and judicial reviews, and we could see cases unresolved for years on end.”
“I would like to get feedback from the Department of the environment and climate action and the Minister on this initiative and on whether they are actively trying to implement it.”
“The programme for Government states that the Government will explore ways to reduce energy poverty by diverting surplus renewable energy to these households. This would be life-changing for many families who simply cannot afford to heat their homes. We had representatives from EnergyCloud in the social protection committee and they are doing brilliant work in this space. You could feel their frustration. EnergyCloud has an excellent product, the know-how, the costings and the technology but it is still getting no buy-in from the Government for this. It has a product that costs cents to manufacture and will divert surplus energy into homes at risk of energy poverty. It is already in some social houses. We have a really simple idea that is cost effective and a solution that is ready to go. It needs to be rolled out countrywide.”
“People right across the country are worried about paying more at the pump because of global instability that will inevitably push up fuel prices and this is on top of already struggling to pay for basic necessities like energy bills and groceries. The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, has estimated that around 29% of households are living in energy poverty. Some 320,000 households, or one in seven homes across Ireland, are in arrears with their electricity bills. The Government cut energy credits from budget 2026 with no plan in place to support families who they knew would struggle to afford paying their energy bills. The Tánaiste has said that help is on its way but surely the Government was aware of the impact that cutting energy credits could have on households.”
“It seems that the reason there is not a harsher clampdown on major corporations is that even though there may be ethical objections to how they are operating, the Government considers the revenue from corporation tax too valuable to lose. This is at a grave cost to the protection of our children. Legislation that targets corporations would send a message that Ireland has strict enforcement when it comes to the protection of our young people.”
“They are bringing in hundreds of millions in revenue every year but take no responsibility for the harmful content they are profiting from. The Exchequer is also benefiting from these companies. We talk about Grok and age verification, but I believe we are allowing large companies to get away scot free. Should the responsibility be left to the young consumer or to the multinational corporations producing this material? These amendments provide us with the platform needed to hold corporations responsible. They will provide for criminal and civil liabilities if these corporations do not uphold safety standards. Is the Government prepared to introduce legislation that will hold companies responsible for ensuring children are not exposed to pornographic or sexual abuse material?”
“I welcome the Minister of State, and I welcome the debate. Like Senator Mullen, I do not think this motion goes far enough. I am seconding the amendments. I thank Senator Mullen for bringing forward such important clarifications and asks when it comes to the criminal and civil responsibility of companies. Many of the dangers surrounding social media and online access relate to pornography. These large companies distribute pornographic material, often including child sexual abuse material that is readily accessible at the touch of a button. We have companies hosting videos that either contain sexual violence or endorse it in some capacity. These companies, like Aylo Billing, which owns PornHub, are based in Dublin. In 2020, they took in €260 million in revenue.”
“They need to know their children will have a place for school in September and that they will have SNAs to support children with additional needs.”
“We can teach our children to be respectful and kind without forcing them to go against what is biologically true. We have a duty to ensure that what we teach children is grounded in best practice and appropriate for their age and stage of development. The Government's priorities seem totally twisted. We constantly see money being poured into NGOs, awareness campaigns and agenda-driven gender guides and no priority given to what is actually important. Classrooms remain under-resourced, parents struggle to find support for their children, and young people with disabilities feel totally left behind in the education system. Please stop allowing these loud activists to push an agenda. Are we now educating flag wavers for NGOs? Listen to what teachers and parents actually want.”
“We have discovered through a parliamentary question submitted by Aontú that the Department of education has given just under €500,000 to the LGBTQ+ organisation Belong To. Does the Government feel it is appropriate to fund organisations that have been criticised by young people themselves for putting its agenda over the well-being and safety of children? It has been rightly condemned for spreading misinformation, for advising children not to tell their parents if they use a chest binder and for encouraging young people to speak only with trusted adults. These trusted adults are, of course, only those who are affirmative of their gender transition. Belong To's stand up campaign, which is rolled out in schools nationwide, is rooted in the Bí Cinealta programme, which has been criticised by parents, teachers and students.”
“Our homegrown academics cannot access funding or accommodation, yet the Minister is focusing his time on recruiting international academics. His focus should be on addressing issues at home and supporting our students, not on global missions to source academics abroad.”
“It is where young people fly the nest and start to get their independence and return home at the weekends. They learn to manage their budget, to cook, to realise that their washing is not done by a magic fairy, and to clean and look after themselves. This Government and previous Governments have failed our young students. They cannot afford to rent, and for those who are can, there is no accommodation for them. The lack of public transport means that they have no opportunity to go out for a drink with friends, and many universities do not even have parking spaces for students because we are supposed to be walking or taking public transport, which often does not exist. The Minister has also introduced talent scouting to bring international academics to Ireland. Where does he plan on housing them?”
“I was listening to the Minister, Deputy James Lawless's, plans for smart scheduling when it comes to lectures. While at first glance it seems like a positive step, it really misses the point when it comes to college education. I would like the Minister to consider the other side of this debate. Many of us know the importance of the gaps between lectures when students go for coffee or hang out at the arts block, the library or the student bar. Many of our young people are incredibly lonely. They are commuting for hours to get to college because they cannot find accommodation and they cannot go out with their friends because many of them do not live anywhere near the campus. College is about deepening a person's education, but it is also a rite of passage.”
“There is an additional special educational class in a school in Castleblayney that does not have the resources to open that class. These people have had to go to the media. They have had to bare their souls and the most intimate details of their family's lives so they can get the attention to shame the Government into looking after their children. That should not have to be the case. I ask the Department to step in and give the resources necessary to these families in Castleblayney before they have to prostrate themselves any further at the altar of the Department of education and the media.”
“I welcome my neighbours, who are guests of Senator Joe O'Reilly. I hope they have a great day. I am sorry to have to raise another issue with special educational needs. The issue has been in the media for the past two weeks. It relates to places for children with special educational needs who are going into secondary school. Unfortunately, there are 14 families in Castleblayney, County Monaghan, who have not secured places. It is a pity. It is very hard on the families, particularly those who have to fight for every single thing they get for their children. Paddy McAloon, Olivia Larkin and Special Needs Active Parents, SNAP, in Monaghan have been fighting tirelessly for their children to receive what they should get, legally and rightfully, without a fight. Those 14 families applied for seven spaces in a special education class.”
“Their culture and industry have been taken from them and Europe has simply sat back and allowed third countries to devastate the Irish fishing industry. Why?”
“I thank the MEPs for attending. On the Mercosur agreement, why is there such a push to bring in Brazilian beef that has no traceability and contains growth hormones which are banned within the EU? Have the MEPs not a duty of care to European consumers? Is not that why we have these very protections in Europe? I advise Seán Kelly to read the report by the Irish Farmers' Journal after he has read the Sunday Independent . Last week, Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil all voted to recognise trans women as women. That was a complete betrayal of every biological woman and the rights we have long fought for. We deserve to have our rights to single-sex spaces and sports protected. Do the MEPs think that a female victim of domestic abuse should have to share a refuge with a biological man? Our fishermen need the MEPs to work on their behalf.”
“They expected and advocated for more money but what we got was more of the same. For our regional and local roads in 2025, we received €10.084 million. This year we received €10.727 million. In my municipal district there are no national routes or national secondary routes. We rely on regional and local funding for our roads. We have huge industry, which needs to get product out to market. That is not happening. Why is this issue being raised time and again? Is it falling on deaf ears? We need a substantial increase to roads funding if the improvement we need is to be achieved. It is simply not good enough that roads get worse and worse while taxpayers are fleeced by tolls. I look forward to another announcement. I kept looking at the figures last night to see what was I missing because an increase in funding was expected.”
“After I was elected as a councillor in Cavan County Council, one of the main issues I campaigned on was the poor quality of the roads and road surfaces in counties Cavan and Monaghan. Many Senators in this Chamber today have heard about the substandard roads that we and our citizens have to travel on. The people in my area pay motor tax and carbon tax and some of them pay two or three tolls going to work every day, just to end up driving on roads that are substandard. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, was recently asked about the increase in tolls. His response was that these tolls go towards the upkeep of our roads. However, there is no evidence of that in counties Cavan or Monaghan. There is no upkeep of the road structure. The road funding announced yesterday was much anticipated. Councillors came from Cavan to meet with Ministers.”
“Why someone would be more outraged over a Portaloo on the streets than the hypocrisy of a chair enforcing regulations on farmers that he does not himself follow is a question I will ponder.”
“Does the Senator expect farmers to pee on the side of the street? They are not animals. They also use the loo. Nobody is questioning the role of Mr. Murrin. The role he has played in Bord Bia has contributed to Bord Bia's success and he is a very good astute businessman. However, he is the chair of an organisation that enforces onerous regulations on farmers. If you truly believed these regulations were needed to protect consumers, you would surely follow or insist on those regulations yourself. The one or two organisations of which the Senator spoke represent more than 80,000 farmers; the same farmers who pay €6 million a year to Bord Bia. They absolutely have a right to protest and to stand up for themselves. Some farmers cannot simply opt out of Bord Bia. If a dairy farmer does not get quality assurance then he cannot sell his produce.”
“My colleague, Melissa Byrne, has been contacted by parents in Newbridge who are devastated that the Patrician Secondary School will have a reduction in SNAs between 2026 to 2027 from 6.75 posts to four posts. I know this too will concern the Deputy Leader and I am sure she will look for the Government to intervene. We have written to the Minister for education because this is an issue in schools across the country. In the Patrician Secondary School, there will be one SNA for 232 children and that is unacceptable. It is a let-down for families and their children. I also wish to address some of remarks made by Senator McDowell in the Seanad yesterday. He has every right to stand up for Larry Murrin but once we move into the arena of Portaloos, things get a bit ridiculous. Taking exception to a Portaloo on the pavement is bizarre.”
“When she had her baby, the whole village came for the first year. They washed her hair, took the baby, helped feed the baby and cooked meals. It is in their culture to help the women in the village who have children. Women these days are under so much pressure, as Senator Ryan said. There are unrealistic expectations to have a baby, career, body, figure and to lose the weight. We put these pressures on ourselves. Most women put on a brave face. We need to focus on normalising support for every woman.”
“I am delighted that the Government is supporting the motion, given its significance and the reassurance it will offer to first-time mothers and those who have previously missed out on key postnatal supports after giving birth. I want to pick up on something the Minister of State said, namely, that we must encourage women to reach out. She is right. Senator Higgins was correct when she said that most women put on a brave face because they do not want to be a burden and are supposed to be able to deal with this change in life. We have to normalise ensuring wraparound supports for every woman are available. Senator Clonan referred to the family. Most families do not have the support they had years ago. It is important that we replace that. I have a friend married to a girl from Thailand.”
“The Year of Care campaign driven by Aolish Gormley is an important is initiative that advocates for supports for new mothers for up to a year after childbirth. It would provide postnatal checks and ensure that the mother and child have all of the resources needed to thrive during this important and formative period. Postnatal care must continue past the standard six-week checkup. The six-week checkup appointment is often the only dedicated checkup that mothers have after childbirth, yet for many women the effects of childbirth can last for months post partum and the challenges may not become clear until after those first six weeks when their support, family and friends begin to fade.”
“I thank Senators Cosgrove, Harmon, Noonan and Stephenson for bringing forward this important motion on improving mental health supports in this country. Motherhood can be a joyful and exciting time, but it also brings with it concern, worry and challenges as mothers enter a new stage in their lives. They usually feel overwhelmed, worried and concerned and are dealing with sleepless nights. We know that around one in five women face mental health difficulties in the time surrounding childbirth. We have to make sure that maternal mental health is given the same priority as physical health conditions as both can severely impact on the life of the mother or their newborn and the family.”
“If the State can afford to hand out massive pay increases to people already in the top bracket, it can afford to provide an emergency winter payment. I ask the Government to please listen to the voices of people with disabilities. I ask for statements on this issue.”
“While vulnerable people are being told to wait, the Government has found no difficulty approving bumper pay rises for top executives. Ministers recently signed off on salary increases for senior semi-State CEOs. There is a €75,000 pay rise for the CEO of Iarnród Éireann, a €50,000 increase for the CEO of Bus Éireann and a €35,000 increase for the head of CIÉ. I would love for some of those CEOs and the Minister to imagine what it is like to live off €250 per week. Imagine sitting in your home, dreading every heating bill or putting off doing your shopping because you simply cannot afford it. How can the Government justify this when CEOs already earn six figure salaries and are now to receive thousands more at the expense of the taxpayer? If people want to know about the Government's priorities, they must look at where the money is going.”
“I want to raise the urgent need for an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities. Many people are facing a choice between eating and heating. That is what we have heard at committee from people who have disabilities. All their testimony is backed up by evidence. Over the weekend, the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, said that the Government will introduce a permanent measure to address the cost of disability, but not until budget 2027. When it comes to disability support, the Government always speaks in the future tense. It is always that it is going to bring in something or it will implement a measure and there will be a support payment. The Government suggests another citizens' assembly or task force. People cannot wait for that. They cannot decide not to pay for their food shopping or heating until budget 2027.”
“The maintenance budget has been cut. Another thing I want to highlight is that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has not, that I know of, set foot in this Chamber. He has been in it three times, but I have yet to meet him. There are serious problems with roads and roads funding. There have been promises for the past six months about additional funding and it still has not come to light. It is not right, and we deserve to have that Minister in front of us. I call on him to come before us.”
“There have been workshops, plans and surveys but nothing that will protect our roads, our homes and our businesses. It is easy to blame the weather instead of focusing on solutions the Government can actually control. Can the Minister of State commit to much needed flood defence schemes and back delivery with a timeline and funding? If he cannot, is it not all just talk? Senator Joe Conway raised the issue of cleaning out gullies and local authorities. I support what Senator Cosgrove said. She is 100% right. Local authorities are totally underfunded. They actually get the work done. Local government is brilliant for getting jobs done, but it is totally underfunded. In 2021, Cavan County Council was getting €45,000 more for ordinary maintenance than it is this year. Monaghan County Council was getting €81,000 more.”
“We have a tendency in this country to protect fish life over families. Who can we blame for that? The reality is we cannot blame the weather forecasters when the State has flood defence schemes that have been in the pipeline for a decade with no sign of planning or completion. Where does the responsibility lie for that? In 2015, people in Midleton were promised flood protection. The Minister of State should know that. Over ten years later, a planning application has not been submitted. Enniscorthy was totally underwater during the storm. There have been 12 floods there in 25 years and still there is no planning permission for flood defences in place. Why is that? The Cavan flood relief scheme was introduced in 2018 and eight years later, there has been no action at all.”
“In counties Cavan and Monaghan, some of the roads were so badly affected that in some cases, they collapsed and in others, they were closed for days. It caused unbelievable chaos, particularly in Ballybay, County Monaghan and outside Cootehill, County Cavan. People were upset by how the Government seemed to put the blame on everyone else instead of engaging in a bit of self-reflection. It was Met Éireann's fault for not updating people in time and it was the weather's fault for the heavy downpour. The reality is that flood forecasting has been available in this country for the past ten years but it has not been available to the public. Who can we blame for that? We have communities that are waiting decades for flood defences and protection measures to be built. Who can we blame for that?”
“Weather events are happening, whether as predicted by Met Éireann or not, and whether it is a named storm or not. They are not a once-in-a-lifetime event. Flooding is happening regularly, especially where I live. Every time it starts raining heavily in Cavan, a family who live near me keep watch 24-7. Water starts encircling the steps of their house, front and back. There is no consolation from the Government for these people, who are living in a flood zone and cannot escape the weather or the rising waters. There is a river at the back of their house. The farmer cannot clean out the river, where there is a build-up of silt, because he will be prosecuted if he did so. The level of flooding we saw across the country during Storm Chandra was shocking.”
“The Minister and Department need to liaise with the schools and families who have been left out as soon as possible. I ask the Minister to commit to an audit on the number of children currently waiting for a place in each county as it seems the Department does not collect or collate that data. We need to get a grasp on how widespread this issue is immediately.”
“The lack of progress is causing huge stress for parents. These children are meant to begin their transition to secondary school in March like every other child. Instead, they are being left out because there are no places. I know of one school that had 17 people waiting for seven places. That means that ten children have not got a place for September. Parents should not have to wait for a second tranche announcement to find out if their child will have a school place or where that school place will be. It is also impossible to ignore the fact that the Minister for Education and Youth recently announced ten school construction-to-tender projects in her own constituency and zero in Cavan. Meanwhile, families in Monaghan are left waiting and hoping. There is huge disappointment.”
“Moving from primary school to secondary school is a big step for any child. It is an exciting time and it is also nerve-wracking. For families in Monaghan with children who have special needs, that normal worry has turned into fear and stress because many parents still have no idea where their children will go to school in September. Pupils finishing sixth class in June have not been offered places in special education classes and have been left in limbo waiting for answers from the Department and the National Council for Special Education. The ASD classes in Largy College and St. Macartan's College are full. The three MLD classes in Castleblayney are also full. Both Largy College and St. Macartan's have been waiting for a long time for approval from the Department of Education and Youth for school extensions but nothing has happened.”
“The children need to know where they are going and their parents need to know they have a space, but we still have this obfuscation of where the location is going to be, if there is a site, if there is a design and if it is going to be built at all. What is the issue that is blocking this? Is the Minister of State still telling me that St. Davnet's campus is the location of the site, when there is information to say that site is now seen as not being suitable because it is deemed a hospital setting?”
“I thank the Minister of State for her response but I still have not got clarity. The clarity I have been asking for is whether a location has been selected for the day services unit. The Minister of State said the HSE is looking in Monaghan. Is that Monaghan town? Do they have a location selected? There is also information that the site the HSE and the property steering group has approved for capital is deemed as a hospital setting so it cannot be used. This means there is still this confusion, and the Minister of State has not even mentioned this in her response. If this last site selection is deemed unsuitable because it is in a hospital setting, I want to get information for those parents and children looking in.”
“The issue here is that families and their loved ones need to plan. Continuity and consistency for children with special needs is really important. The daily activation unit in Rooskey is fantastic but we need a building that can deliver more space and cater for different age groups and school leavers in particular. Originally, it was supposed to be a building at St. Louis convent in Monaghan and then an old fire station. In 2024, a submission for the unit to be based in St. Davnet's campus was completed and approved by the HSE for capital and by the property steering committee. We need a decision, action on the site and a timeline for opening. I ask the Minister of State to clarify those questions for me.”
“We get several minutes in this House for a debate on a topic, which I appreciate, but I want to know what stage the Department of disability is at with progressing an adult day centre for County Monaghan? I have been working with my colleague in Monaghan, Olivia Larkin, on this and with the SNAP organisation's Paddy McAloon and the rest of the parents in that group. They have raised a number of issues related to the lack of disability services in County Cavan, but particularly in County Monaghan, which is more poorly serviced. There is a lack of respite services, special education places and a need to increase respite provision. We have been told that a site has been selected for an adult day services centre, but the information has been sparse on where the site is and when it will be completed.”
“I am really disappointed that the Minister of State could not stay for my Commencement matter because it is connected to his Department. When will a new adult day services day centre for County Monaghan be developed? Has a location for the site been selected? Can the Minister responsible for disability provide a timeline for works to be completed? There has been a lot of confusion on this over the past few years. I am working with a group called Special Needs Active Parents, SNAP, in County Monaghan that is trying to improve facilities and services for children with special needs and to improve services for children after they leave school. We want a bit of clarity.”
“The only thing missing from the application was a description of the nature and extent of the building. Works were expected to be completed this year, but who knows now when that building will even be started. I have submitted questions to the Ministers for education and disability on behalf of Special Needs Active Parents Monaghan in light of the urgent need for respite services in the area. Parents have been asking for those services for probably 15 years. I ask that the Minister for disability arrange a meeting with Special Needs Active Parents Monaghan at the earliest opportunity.”
“We have a massive issue with planning in this country. If a minor mistake is made or any information is missing from a planning application, the whole thing has to be resubmitted. We are delaying much-needed infrastructure because the Government will not develop a process that means information can be added or changed, as opposed to having to submit an entirely new application. Numerous families have contacted me about the lack of respite services in Monaghan. It now seems that because of an error in the HSE's planning application, there will be further delays in providing a site for respite care. The HSE planned to demolish an existing building and replace it with a facility designed for up to five children at a time. It now seems that the application was considered incomplete and will have to be resubmitted.”
“If people are coming across to the Minister of State as extreme, it is because we are hearing first hand, every single day, from fishermen who are fighting to save their communities, livelihoods and families.”
“We have statements on fishing and each time we hear that progress is being made but the reality on the ground is that this is not true. A 70% reduction in mackerel cannot be glossed over. It is devastating for the industry. Irish fishermen are only permitted to catch 28 tonnes of sole from their own waters while Belgian fishermen can catch up to 400 tonnes. No one understands what is happening better than fishing communities themselves. They are watching their legacy and businesses dying out. The big five Dutch companies which have massive control over quotas across the EU are investing significantly in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Is the Minister of State addressing this and how is he doing so?”