Timmy Dooley
Clare · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I thank both Senators for the amendments they are putting forward and the sentiment behind them. I will deal with the points about the emergency. The Government made it very clear that a decision was taken, based on a decision taken by the previous Government in November 2024.”
“The State has taken a view, however, that is consistent with our desire and our commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, and onwards to 2040 and 2050, that this facility is strategic, as it says, that it is only for storage and that it is not meant to be a market play and cannot be a market play.”
“It is, but it is not an either-or situation. If €1 billion could sort it out with more batteries, wind or solar then that is the route we would be taking. We are investing very significant amounts of money in our electricity grid.”
“As the Senators know, the piece of kit – effectively the ship – will be leased in. There are a number of these around the world and they move on. First, we are not investing in the kind of infrastructure that had been a feature of discussions in the past.”
“All fossil fuels are harmful to the environment. The Senator is right that methane has a much higher concentration and is more impactful by what is referred to as the carbon dioxide equivalence. It is much greater than carbon dioxide but it also has shorter life in the atmosphere. It dissipates over time whereas carbon dioxide does not.”
“If we were to do it, however, to get the private sector to pay for the security - I think it is accepted on all sides that there is a necessity for some security in terms of the gas supply - and if the Government were to say it would provide that through a market-led private consortium and initiate an auction to allow entities around the…”
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“Legislative amendments are being progressed to strengthen and modernise the existing IFI enforcement framework. The heads of Bill are being drafted and I intend to bring the legislative proposals to Government as soon as possible. The work of the Joint Research Centre, JRC, is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. I will consider the actions taken during the Blackwater incident and assess their effectiveness and make recommendations on how future prevention response can be improved. I look forward to the publication of that report as quickly as possible. I thank Members for their forbearance.”
“Last October, I wrote to the chair of IFI, asking it to lead an independent incident review of the Blackwater incident on behalf of the interagency group established to oversee the investigation into the event. IFI subsequently secured the services of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission to undertake this review. In December I announced this independent review of the incident that is aimed at strengthening how the State prevents, responds to and investigates such incidents, including the development of a formal interagency protocol for responding to fish kill incidents nationwide. A single, agreed protocol for all agencies involved will ensure that the relevant expertise, resources, and information are brought together quickly and will ensure consistency in how incidents are handled and communicated.”
“An open recruitment process has been completed by the Public Appointments Service on behalf of IFI seeking a new chief executive. The new CEO will be appointed shortly, subject to necessary clearance and approval processes. Having a new CEO in place will also allow the CEO to contribute constructively to the process and ensure IFI's executive team has direct ownership of any recommendations arising from the independent review. The Blackwater fish kill was an event of significant importance to the inland fisheries sector but also to tourism and the general issue of biodiversity in an important river. A summary report of the investigation into the fish kill incident on the River Blackwater was published last September. The report provided an extensive account of the interagency investigation and set out the most likely sequence of events.”
“IFI appeared before the Committee of Public Accounts in early December in respect of the Comptroller and Auditor General's special report and its 2023 financial statements. During the meeting, several items raised were not fully addressed and it is understandable that members of the Committee of Public Accounts continue to have questions. The committee has written to both our Department and IFI seeking additional information and a significant volume of records was provided to the committee, which is reviewing those at present. The programme for Government includes a commitment to carry out an independent review of IFI. Last year I wrote to the IFI board setting out the Department's intention to carry out this review once a new CEO is appointed and embedded in the agency.”
“Before I conclude, I would like to discuss Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Blackwater fish kill, if the Cathaoirleach could give me a couple of minutes to do so. I think it is important because it is part of the overall fisheries brief. As Senators know, the Comptroller and Auditor General published its special report on governance, internal controls and value for money issues in IFI last October. The report provides an independent assessment of weaknesses identified over the period from 2019 to 2023. It also outlines the corrective actions that have been taken by IFI and the Department to address these issues, which include independent reviews, governance reforms and the appointment of a new board. The issues highlighted by the Comptroller and Auditor General are serious and not acceptable.”
“Michael Berkery, an independent chair, and will include representatives from the fishing organisations, aquaculture and seafood processing organisations, my Department and its agencies and other relevant Government Departments and agencies. I will be writing to all the relevant stakeholders to share the terms of reference for the food vision seafood group and will request nominations for membership. It is intended to hold the first meeting of the group in the week commencing 16 February 2026. The Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future commits to securing a sustainable future for the fisheries sector, while supporting coastal communities that rely on this activity for their livelihood and I will work across Government to deliver on this commitment.”
“Together with the Minister, Deputy Heydon, I have committed to engaging with colleagues across the Government to assess what framework of supports may be available to the seafood sector, to explore options within the constraints of both EU and national Exchequer funding and the relevant EU and national legislation, and in particular taking account of the constraints imposed by EU state aid rules for the fisheries sector. Next week I will be formally establishing a seafood sector group under the auspices of the Food Vision 2030 strategy to advance this commitment. A key priority of the food vision seafood group will be to ensure that a platform of economic, environmental and social sustainability supports are available to the fisheries and seafood processing sectors and their coastal communities. The new group will be chaired by Mr.”
“The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will continue to provide a range of supports and services to the Irish fleet under Ireland's €258 million seafood development programme, which is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Commission under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, EMFAM, running from 2021 to 2027. In addition to the seafood development programme, I recognise that our fishing and seafood sector must be additionally supported through this very difficult time. I am clear that, despite the resilience shown by the sector, a whole-of-government approach is required to support it through this particular challenge.”
“Nevertheless, the impact of the scientific advice and resulting reductions in available quota, combined with Ireland not receiving its Hague preference quotas, will have significant operational and economic feasibility impacts on the seafood sector. The 2026 quota outcomes reflect the continued balancing act between maintaining viable fishing opportunities and protecting fish stocks in line with scientific advice under the Common Fisheries Policy. For Ireland, this reinforces the importance of maximising value from available quota and maintaining high standards of quality and market positioning.”
“This was a question I posed to the EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, last week in Brussels. He assured me that all technical, diplomatic and political measures were being taken by him and his services to seek a solution to this issue. However, there are many issues to be carefully considered here. A higher TAC means more fish for our fleet but the one issue we need to be mindful of is that overfishing by some third countries has led to the collapse of the stock and a careful balance needs to be struck. This is Ireland's most important stock and we need it to be sustained into the long term.”
“Despite this however, the four parties of Norway, the UK, the Faroe Islands and Iceland have agreed that the 2026 TAC should be 299,010 tonnes. This is based on the alternative catch scenario given by ICES based on the application of the maximum sustainable yield, MSY, rule, ignoring that the stock is below that Blim. This higher catch is associated with a higher risk that the stock will not recover to Blim in 2027. The four-party agreement indicates that their combined share is 79.45%, which is equivalent to 238,000 tonnes and 37% above the headline advice of 174,000 tonnes. The EU also has to make a decision whether it remains faithful to the ICES advice of 174,000 tonnes or takes its share of the higher value of 299,000 tonnes.”
“Even after the December AGRIFISH Council meeting where the 2026 total allowable catch, TAC, and quota were set for 2026, we have seen questionable actions taken by other third countries in how we manage the mackerel stock for the north-east Atlantic. In late December, Norway, the UK, the Faroe Islands and Iceland agreed on management arrangements for mackerel for 2026 without the EU. The scientific headline advice for 2026 is a total allowable catch of 174,370 tonnes. This is based on a 50% probability that the stock will recover to biolimit mass, Blim, in 2027. Spawning stock biomass is the weight of the sexually mature fish in a population. Blim means the level of spawning stock biomass below which recruitment, that is, reproduction, is impaired or the stock dynamics are unknown. There is a strong basis for that which has been proposed.”
“Given that Ireland holds the largest share of the EU quota of mackerel in the western waters area, the devastating impact of the decline in the stock will be acutely felt by both the catching and processing sector. On behalf of the Government, I have called for the EU to send a clear message that actions that threaten the sustainability of our shared stocks are not acceptable. At a number of recent AGRIFISH Council meetings, the importance of a concerted EU response was discussed by ministers, including the option of triggering the unsustainable fishing regulation. This is something that I have sought for some time and will continue to pursue.”
“There has been an effort by some extreme elements within this Parliament and outside to suggest that Ireland is the only country that is taking a hit in quota. The quota reduction based on scientific advice has been across the European Union and impacts each country specifically based on the quota which its possesses or has grandfathered rights to. It is particularly challenging for Ireland because the advice in relation to mackerel is particularly worrying. Therefore, the proposed cuts are significant. We, as a country, are impacted more than anyone because of the European quota. We have about 50% of it from an Irish perspective. Ireland has consistently called for action against those countries that overfish mackerel.”
“Therefore, Ireland's fishing opportunities for 2026 amount to approximately 120,000 tonnes with an estimated first sale value of €205 million across the main pelagic, demersal and nephrops stock for 2026. As a result, while the overall scale of fishing opportunity remains substantial, the distribution of quota across key stocks presents ongoing challenges for fleet planning, processing throughput and coastal communities that are highly dependent on the specific fisheries. It is important that we do not focus our ire on the scientific advice here. The advice is merely reflecting years of overfishing by other countries. We - the EU and specifically Ireland - are suffering the consequences. The question arises as to what we are going to do about it.”
“The total allowable catch for these stocks had been set at 15 tonnes annually for 2024, 2025 and 2026 in line with the scientific advice I mentioned earlier, and therefore were not under consideration in this proposal. It is clear that the outcomes of this year's December AGRIFISH Council will result in severely reduced fishing opportunities for 2026. The scientific advice upon which the Council's decisions were based reflects the impact of overfishing, particularly of the mackerel stock by certain third countries. The advised 70% reduction in the total allowable catch for mackerel is compounded by a 41% reduction in blue whiting and a 22% reduction in boarfish along with further reductions in nephrops.”
“The conclusions reached in Brussels in December are a culmination of bilateral and trilateral negotiations by the EU with third countries, where were then followed by the internal EU matters of the Baltic, western Mediterranean and the EU main total allowable catch and quota regulation, which covers stocks in the Atlantic, North Sea and adjacent waters and includes the fish stocks of relevance to Ireland. Most of the stocks covered by this regulation are shared with third countries, predominantly the UK and Norway. There are only two stocks of which Ireland has quota which are an autonomous Union stocks, sole and plaice, in ICES areas 7bc off Ireland's west coast.”
“I also recognise that these same coastal communities are feeling dismay and despair at the reduced levels of quota available to them for 2026 following the EU operating on the basis of headline ICES, International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, advice and particularly the resultant quotas for pelagic stock. This was in addition to Ireland's invocation of the Hague preferences, which are a key element of our relative stability, being blocked by a group of larger member states.”
“I welcome the opportunity to be in the Seanad again to discuss fisheries and marine matters. I welcome the timely opportunity to discuss this important issue and the concerns affecting the fisheries and seafood sector. I know many of the Senators here have a very keen interest in and intimate knowledge of the industry and those who operate in it. I reassure the House that as Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries and the marine, I recognise the importance of maintaining a vibrant fishing sector both for the communities that rely on them and indeed the wider economy.”
“-----are in the best interests of the people we seek to serve. I cannot accept that Sinn Féin holds dear farmers and those communities any more than I do or the other people on this side of the House do.”
“I suspect that, within a number of weeks, we would have another motion from Sinn Féin, this one saying the Minister did wrong and hanged the wrong man and telling him to look at the negative consequences. It is sometimes easy to call for a head and to rush to judgment.”
“-----by some of our competitors. Can the Deputies imagine how the delivery of a head, as Sinn Féin has been demanding of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, would be presented by those countries that seek to compete with us in international markets? They would say there was a problem with Irish beef and with the standards.”
“Farmers talk to me regularly about the exactness and complexity of these standards and the challenges they present. If the people at the top of Bord Bia were to exit, those very standards would be questioned in third countries, markets outside of Ireland.”
“It would send the message that there was an issue at the core of the quality of Irish beef. It would bring into question the very standards that put farmers to the pin of their collar.”
“I certainly concur with his view of the excellent teams on the ground. I was recently in the position of political leadership of a mission to China. It was principally about fish but it was also about beef, offal and green offal. I saw the work that had been done under the guidance of the chairman and chief executive to put in place teams on the ground that were speaking in Mandarin, engaging with customers and bringing them to political events. I saw how well regarded Bord Bia was. That does not happen by accident. It is easy to suggest that you can isolate one individual and call for a head and for summary judgment so that you can get it done and move on. If the Government or some other body were to follow through on that approach, it would have implications.”
“-----and the complexities of meeting the demands and needs of a changing marketplace. It is not all about carcasses moving to and fro. We have heard about the remarkable growth in the value of agrifood exports over the last decade and more from an export value of €10 billion in 2011 to an estimated €21 billion in 2025. That figure is a truly a record. Our export destinations are well balanced between the EU, the UK and international markets. We all know the importance of market diversification in these volatile geopolitical times. We also know that Bord Bia has played a key role in that success. We have heard about its success in promoting our top-quality food and drink overseas. Like the Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, I have witnessed this at first hand on trade missions and at trade fairs.”
“Also, over that protracted period of time, I have come to see how successive governments have supported the farming sector and how it is a different place now from what it was 40, 45 or 50 years ago. I also know there is a much different approach now to marketing our beef abroad and that the integrated nature of the supply chain and the complexities of it are very different from the kind of abattoirs, the kind of butchering and the kind of processing that existed back then. It is a hell of a lot more complex. Some of the language I heard tonight from the Opposition would seem to me to suggest that it has a way to go, and this is not lecturing, in understanding how complex the supply chain is now-----”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, and I cut our teeth in student politics 35 years ago. I learned a lesson back then and it is equally worthy today. Never be speaking after him, because you will certainly not outdo his capacity to hold an audience and hold people to account. I do not bear any ill will against Sinn Féin for taking an opportunity like this. Maybe we have all done it in opposition.”
“I am of the view that a multiplicity of actions will emerge from the work of the task force. I look forward to engaging with the Deputy and his team on that.”
“The task force will be part of the Food Vision strategy. Later today I will be meeting with the independent chair, Michael Berkery. We have a draft of the terms of reference, which I hope to have agreed shortly. I hope that the first meeting can take place within the next two weeks. We have a clear agenda about the necessity to address the crisis in light of the fishing opportunity that has been lost for 2026. I also want to broaden it out to include the impact of the reduction in fishing opportunities for this year. Its work will also address not just the impact on the pelagic sector, which has been hit to the greatest extent, but also the impact on inshore fishermen. Their representative bodies will certainly be part of the task force because they will be impacted by the cost of bait, etc. We have to look at this is a comprehensive way.”
“As stated, the Hague preferences have been under pressure for some time. We will seek every possible way to try to find a mechanism to have them restored in due course.”
“I understand that the Deputy comes from an area where fishing is important. To be clear, the quota reduction, based on the scientific advice, applied across the board regardless of the member states involved. It did not seek to penalise Ireland in favour of any other state. It sought to try to protect, insofar as possible, the future of certain species. The Deputy is right in the sense that Ireland has a significant quota when it comes to species like mackerel, in particular, blue whiting and boarfish. In the case of mackerel, we have 50% of the European quota based on track record. However, stocks of that species are considerably low. The quota reduction of 70% was applied to each country in the context of its quota allocation. It would be wrong to suggest that what was done was unnecessarily discriminatory towards Ireland.”
“The Deputy will be aware that the European Court of Justice, ECJ, addressed this issue in a past finding, which indicated that the acceptance of the Hague preferences was a matter for the Council. That creates potential challenges. I have stated publicly that we will look at all potential opportunities to try to address this matter. With the support of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, we are establishing a working group under the auspices of Food Vision 2030 in order to develop a framework of supports to address the substantial challenges currently facing the sector as a result of the significant reduction in quota to which the Deputy referred.”
“The Danish Presidency did not include the Hague preferences in the final Presidency compromise on the fishing opportunities regulation. This will unfortunately result in severely reduced fishing opportunities for Irish fishermen and fisherwomen in 2026. While Ireland voted against the regulation because it did not include the Hague preferences, the regulation was adopted with a qualified majority. Ireland has already expressed to the Council, the Commission and other member states its intentions to invoke the Hague preferences at the appropriate time in respect of fishing opportunities for 2027. The Department is currently examining the position to determine potential next steps, including in the context of what legal redress is available to us.”
“As the Deputy knows, the Hague preferences are negotiated annually. Over the years, many member states have objected strenuously to their application because the additional quota for Ireland comes from their allocations. These objections have intensified in recent times, arising from reductions in quota due to quota transfers under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and scientific advice based on a considerable reduction in fishing stocks. Some of that reduction has been as a result of overfishing by other countries and some, potentially, as a result of climate change. Regrettably, during the December Fisheries Council, a group of member states chose to block the invocation of Ireland’s Hague preferences for 202.”
“I heard some statistics on the news earlier about the population drain in certain rural areas, including a few in Donegal, where some schools are down to having maybe just two or three students now. We have to address that aspect of this as well insofar as we can.”
“I am very conscious of the impact the small inshore fishermen and fisherwomen have on their communities. Sometimes it is just a living for their own families, but it is also part of the cultural life of some of these little villages and hamlets along our coast that many people take the opportunity to visit as part of their getaways from the larger cities, a tourism component. At the heart of it, however, are the people who are struggling to survive. As regards the loss involved, there are other opportunities. They could probably leave and get other jobs more easily, but that would be a huge drain and a loss to the communities involved in terms of the cultural and historical dimension, and it would suck the life out of those communities. We have a responsibility to address that.”
“The pelagic sector has experienced a dramatic impact in terms of the fishermen and fisherwomen and the processors involved in that regard, but there is a downstream impact regarding the cost of bait, etc., in addition to the difficulties the inshore sector has already encountered, as the Deputy said, as a result of Brexit and other losses of fish. I am very conscious that the response we are putting in place as a result of the quota cut is not just concentrated on the pelagic sector. There will be an interim report to address that aspect of it, but my desire would be to see a longer term and more strategic approach to see how we can sustain that fishing effort within the inshore sector. It will be broadly based and all-encompassing.”
“I assure the Deputy that it will happen as quickly as possible. Later today I will be meeting with Michael Berkery, the independent chair, to continue the discussions we have had about establishing this as quickly as possible. There is concern among the representatives of inshore fishermen and fisherwomen that the task force is a response to the large quota cut for the pelagic sector. That is true, but because we are doing this under Food Vision 2030, it is my view that we need to take into account all those who are affected.”
“However, there will be plenty of opportunity, and I know the Deputy is an active participant in the fisheries and marine committee. As we work through the framework of this, I think we will have the opportunity to discuss it.”
“I expect that it will be in place in the coming weeks. As I have previously indicated, Mr. Michael Berkery, former general secretary of the Irish Farmers Association, has been invited to act as the independent chair of this group. All fishery producer organisations will be invited to participate in the group, and it will provide the appropriate forum and opportunity for NIFA to outline the challenges its members face and to put forward the proposals outlined in its submission. This will allow its proposals to be considered in the wider context of challenges across the sector as a whole. I do not intend to comment on the substance of NIFA's submission at this stage because to do so would pre-empt the work of the group we are establishing and would not necessarily be appropriate at this time.”
“There are many common challenges facing Ireland's seafood producers and many interdependencies across the fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing sectors. The reductions in quotas for 2026 present a significant and particular challenge to the affected fleet segments, with the potential for downstream impacts on inshore fishermen and fisherwomen and seafood processors. When considering and developing the measures we can put in place to respond to these challenges, it is important we consider all impacts, and all opportunities, across the sector as a whole. That is why I have announced the establishment, with the support of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, of a group under the framework of our food vision strategy to consider and respond to the challenges facing the seafood sector. Preparatory work is under way to establish this group.”
“I thank the Deputy for the question. I know that, like others, he has had a considerable ongoing engagement with all aspects of fisheries, and his input is welcome and being considered. I am very aware of the challenges facing inshore fishermen and fisherwomen and have met with representatives of the sector, including the National Inshore Fishermen's Association, NIFA, on a number of occasions in recent months and have received a copy of the submission to which the Deputy refers. Our Department also engages regularly with representatives of the inshore sector, including NIFA, the Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation, IIMRO, and the National Inshore Fisheries Forum, NIFF, on developments affecting the sector.”
“There was significant demolition and rebuilding around Dolphin's Barn and, more famously, Ballymun went through a significant transformation a number of years ago. The area I am most familiar with is Dolphin's Barn and there are probably others. We also need to look at this in terms of providing privately- and publicly-owned new homes, which is something we are driving very hard. We have to look to these older buildings as well and try to ensure we have the capacity to bring them to a standard. I am taken by the point the Senator has raised. It is no different to a poor-quality school environment for teachers and kids. If their homes are not to a standard as well, it does take away from people's quality of life and leads to all sorts of other social issues. I know the Senator will advocate for a programme of rebuilding or upgrading homes.”
“In this year's budget we have put another 50% on top of this in funding and we are up to €140 million. This is targeting approximately 3,500 local authority properties throughout the State. By 2030 we hope to have brought approximately 36,500 State-owned residential properties to a high standard in terms of the retrofit that will make the homes warmer and more energy efficient. While this has a positive impact, it does not speak to the issue the Senator has raised, which is more about the State's response to bringing flat complexes up to a standard. He knows the area much better than me but I am conscious of it from going in and out of the city, as I have been doing for many years.”
“I am aware of the Senato's interest in this regard and he has been a very strong advocate for people who live in flats and people in social housing. They have rewarded him on occasion for the work he does. This is important and he has raised an issue that has wider connotations. It has more to do with the upgrade and maintenance of the basic fibre and fabric of the structure of these multi-unit accommodation facilities rather than the airtightness or climate change aspects, which is the point of the warmer homes scheme. Last year, approximately €90 million was spent by the Department of housing under the energy efficiency retrofit programme and it supported almost 2,700 local authority owned property retrofits. Of these, approximately 90% were fitted with heat pumps so they are more likely to be individual properties.”
“I know there is engagement between the Department and the local authority. I am sure the Senator, through his office, may be able to put some pressure on the local authority. I will happily engage with him, if he wants, and we will see how we can assist in that. That is something the Government is very clear on. Local authority stock must be brought up to a very significant standard in terms of reducing the use of fossil fuels and bringing it to a level of airtightness which, when it is done, will have the impact of reducing the burden of cost on those who wish to have some quality of life in a home that is fit for purpose and warm in the first instance.”
“Earlier this week the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, announced a new suite of grants which aim to assist people who would not have the wherewithal to do a full deep retrofit, which in the current climate would probably cost €60,000 to €80,000. The Minister is now providing supports for homes that could ultimately get to a standard of airtightness that would be able to accommodate a heat pump. He is going to provide financial support through grants for the replacement of windows and doors. That will have a very significant impact in getting people on the journey towards retrofitting their homes on a staged basis rather than all at once. Regarding the tenants Senator Andrews talked about who are in large, multi-unit facilities, that is the responsibility of the local authority.”
“There are two streams for the State to do that, the first of which involves commercial and residential properties that are in the ownership of the State, including State buildings like Leinster House. The State is very clear that it has an obligation to upgrade both residential stock and State-owned properties, which it is doing and will continue to do. On the domestic side, the State cannot carry all of the burden when it comes to privately owned facilities but very significant supports are provided through the SEAI for deep retrofits. A lot of that involves using insulation or using a different methodology for the heat source. It is about getting an airtight entity first and then using heat pumps as a means of removing any use of fossil fuels to heat the home.”
“I can absolutely give the Senator assurance that there is nothing in this legislation or in the amendment to the original legislation that will have any impact on the homeowner or will put any extra responsibility or burden on them or open up any legal route to penalise them for how they heat their homes. That is a stated fact. However in the future for those residents, the local authorities are engaged and Government funding is being provided on an ongoing basis. We have very significant targets in terms of the number of homes which must be retrofitted to reduce our CO2 emissions in line with our 2030 targets, onwards to 2040 and beyond to get to net zero by 2050. We are adamant that we will get there.”