Desmond J. O'Malley
Question:51 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for the Marine the response he gave to requests from the IFO for special financial support for the fishing industry.
Written Answers. - Fishing Industry.
The Irish Fishermen's Organisation, IFO, wrote to me in late January asking that the fishing fleet be included in any Government package of financial aid for industry and especially to allow their members access to lower cost foreign loans.
At the time the Government was examining what measures it could adopt to aid industries affected by high interest rates. The consideration of a further aid package for industry was shelved on the realignment of the Irish pound within the European exchange rate mechanism — ERM — on 30 January which resulted in a considerable easing of interest rates.