asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the EEC Commission has decided to assist financially the Irish fishery protection sector; and, if so, the number of additional fishery protection vessels and/or spotter planes and helicopters that will be purchased with EEC funds.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fishery Protection.
17.
At a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Communities in The Hague on 30th October agreement was reached on a resolution which includes the following provision:
The Council recognises that the protection and the control of the fishing zone off Ireland must not result, because of the size of this zone, in a charge for that member state, which is disproportionate to the volume of the Community fish resources which can be exploited in that zone by the fishermen of that member state. It agrees that the implementation of available means of surveillance or those to be foreseen must be accompanied by appropriate measures to ensure that the charges which ensue will be shared equitably.
At the same time the Commission indicated that the question of an equitable sharing of the charges incurred by the member states would be further studied by the Commission which will, if necessary, present proposals to the Council.
It is not possible at this stage to say what form Community assistance for the protection and control of the extended Irish fishing zone will take. The matter is under close examination by the Departments concerned here as well as by the Commission.
Arising out of the reply, can the Minister for Foreign Affairs tell us if there are any definite proposals from our Government as to the help we might need for the protection of our fishing resources?
The matter is under examination, but it is not something in a sense solely for our Government because in the outer part of the 12-mile zone the fishing to be protected will really for the foreseeable future be fishing by other countries rather than by us. The Deputy knows our fishermen are, on the whole, operating coastal zones and therefore the scale of protection required on the outer part of the zone is a matter very much of concern to our partners, in a sense more to them than to us. This is precisely why, in our view, they should share in any costs involved. Therefore, while of course we have to make our assessment of the protection measures necessary for the zone as a whole and in particular for the area within which our fishermen will be fishing, it is a matter in respect of which we need to consult with our partners and to get a common view as to the total scale of protection activity which, in their view and in ours, is appropriate to the whole zone so that the financing of that protection can be equitably shared. That process of consultation is now beginning.