asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the number of licences issued for the import of fish during 1973-74 and during the current year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fish Import Licences.
16.
Since Ireland's accession to the European Economic Community all quantitative restrictions on fish imports have been removed and the only import licences now required, apart from the needs of health control, are for the management of the duty-free and reduced-duty concessions provided under the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement for the import annually of 2,000 cwt of fish, 9,000 cwt of fish fingers and of other prepared fish products to a value of £6,000.
Under this agreement 28 licences were issued in 1973-74 and 34 in 1974-75.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary satisfied that there is a need for the issuing of import licences of this kind?
As I have indicated in my reply, our powers are limited in so far as imposing restrictions on fish imports is concerned. We cannot acquire the authority unilaterally to impose restrictions.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that action such as that taken by the Italian Government in regard to all imports into their country last year —the imposition of a 50 per cent import duty—would seem to be called for here in the case of the importation of fish, especially in view of the sharp drop in the incomes of fishermen?
The Deputy is raising another matter.
These regulations were made at a time when Fianna Fáil were in Government.
The Deputy asked a specific question about the Italians.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that the same regulations applied also to the Italians but that their action was ratified subsequently by the EEC?
That was because of their balance of payments situation, a situation that does not exist here.
We have a whale of a balance of payments situation.