Adjournment Debate.

Medical Cards.

Deputy Michael Ring

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting the matter I raise for discussion on the Adjournment. The position of Chair suits Deputy Wall, the Acting Chairman, well.

The reason I raise this issue is that a major concern has arisen in my constituency as a result of plans to centralise the processing of medical cards in Dublin. At present, applicants submit applications for medical cards to a community welfare officer and an appeal mechanism is in place at county level. Medical and other circumstances may be taken into consideration in the appeals process. This will no longer be the case if the processing of medical cards is centralised in Dublin.

People find it difficult to make contact with social welfare offices, Land Registry offices and various other Departments and bodies in Dublin. The planned centralisation of the processing of medical cards will not work. I call on the Minister not to permit the plan to proceed. As the current arrangement works well, I fail to understand the reason for the proposed change. One cannot remove services of this nature to Dublin. Until this week, Government policy was to pursue decentralisation and provide goods and services at local level. It is now moving in the opposite direction by removing services from local areas and transferring them to Dublin.

The most popular man and woman in this country are Mr. and Mrs. voicemail. People are frustrated because they cannot communicate with Departments. If applications for medical cards must be submitted to Dublin, it will create a major problem. I call on the Government to reconsider the current proposals because people are angry as they believe they will lose contact with community welfare officers and will be unable to make their cases properly. They are also worried that an appeals mechanism may not be provided.

The new arrangement will not work, as is clear from the operation of another scheme. Politicians tabled questions in the House regarding the nursing home repayment scheme. The outfit charged with processing applications under the scheme was supposed to have completed the process within a year. We are now in the second year of the scheme and it has still not done so. Removing services from local areas to Dublin does not always work and in this case it is wrong and dangerous. I call on the Government and Minister for Health and Children to stop it immediately.

Deputy Jimmy Deenihan

As Deputy Ring noted, plans are at an advanced stage to have the medical cards, drug payments, ophthalmic, dental, domiciliary care allowance and immunisation schemes centralised in Dublin or other locations. In January, the administration of the medical card scheme for those aged over 70 years was centralised to Dublin. This is the start of a process. I understand it is envisaged that the other schemes will be transferred to locations outside County Kerry by next June. The net effect is that up to 20 people will have to be relocated and some may lose their jobs.

The quality of service provided by local offices and community welfare officers is generally excellent. Community welfare officers in County Kerry understand local people well and do their best to help them out. The Minister of State should imagine the scenario which will arise if members of the public must telephone Dublin. Clearly they will not receive the instant service they receive in counties Kerry, Mayo and other areas.

I understand the centralisation of these services is intended as a cost-saving exercise and could result in a reduction of 300 jobs. While a commitment has been given at local level that staff will be redeployed, temporary staff will lose their jobs. In addition, end users will lose out because, as Deputy Ring stated, they will not receive the same personal service they currently receive. For example, a person who experiences a problem on a Friday evening currently receives emergency medical treatment. This will no longer be available because communications will not be possible and they will not be able to wait.

The proposed centralisation is a retrograde step. I understood current policy was one of promoting decentralisation. The Government appears to be rowing back on its commitment in this regard. The proposals will affect all parts of the country, including County Galway. Before entering the Chamber, I met Senator Healy Eames who informed me that people in County Galway face precisely the same problem and ten staff could lose their jobs as a result. People will no longer receive a personal service. I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, to use his good offices to ensure the HSE scraps this plan, which will not provide the service vulnerable people need. The new arrangements will be highly disruptive for people who are sick or hold medical cards.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy Barry Andrews)

I will take this Adjournment on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney.

The assessment of eligibility for medical cards and general practitioner visit cards is statutorily a matter for the Health Service Executive and is determined following an examination of the means of the applicant and his or her dependants. Under section 45 of the Health Act 1970, medical cards are provided to persons who, in the opinion of the HSE, are unable without undue hardship to arrange general practitioner medical and surgical services for themselves or their dependants.

Section 58 of the Health Act 1970, as amended, provides for GP visit cards for adult persons with limited eligibility for whom, in the opinion of the HSE, and notwithstanding that they do not qualify for a medical card, it would be unduly burdensome to arrange GP medical and surgical services for themselves or their dependants. Under the Health Act 2008, the income thresholds for entitlement to a medical card for those aged 70 years or over is €700 gross per week for a single person and €1,400 gross per week for a couple.

Until the start of this year, medical card and GP visit card applications were processed in the 32 local health areas. However, under the HSE's 2009 service plan, the processing of medical card and GP visit card applications will be centralised and will transfer to the executive's primary care reimbursement service. The change is being implemented on a phased basis.

The decision by the HSE to centralise the processing of all medical card and GP visit card applications has been made in the context of the requirement to make efficiencies in business practices that can realise savings in this very challenging economic environment. The change will provide an enhanced standardised service to the client population with the ability to deliver services for the public within sustainable levels of expenditure and with the aim of delivering efficiencies by the greater usage of shared services for both internal administration and direct service delivery.

There will be no adverse impact on patient care or the quality of service provided and there will be no adverse effect on the assessment of people whose income exceeds the income guidelines but have a case to be considered on medical or hardship grounds.

Deputy Michael D. Higgins

There will be an impact.

Deputy Barry Andrews

Under the new arrangements, the HSE will aim for a turnaround time of 15 days or fewer for all medical card and GP visit card applications. Emergency applications will be dealt with immediately with a card issuing within 24 hours.

While there are no plans to close any of the local health offices that currently process medical card and GP visit card applications, the process will involve a reassignment of existing staff within the HSE. In this regard, discussions have commenced with IMPACT and SIPTU under agreed arrangements and these discussions are ongoing.

Local health offices will continue to provide advice and necessary supports to people applying for medical cards and GP visit cards. They will also deal with queries of a general nature about the medical card scheme and, along with the HSE national helpline, will handle inquiries from clients in respect of their medical card and GP visit card entitlements.

This is a good example of the type of innovation signalled in the transforming public services programme announced by the Taoiseach last November. It demonstrates how the HSE can deliver improved services within the more limited resources available in a way which meets the needs of citizens in a modern society.

The number of persons with a medical card has increased by more than 200,000 since the start of 2005. More than 1.35 million people are now covered by the card and more than 85,000 people have a GP visit card. In excess of 32% of the national population are covered by the GMS scheme.

The HSE service plan for 2009 highlights the impact of the continued growth in numbers on the live register and uptake of demand-led schemes as an ongoing challenge for 2009. Consequently, it has provided for an additional net increase of 81,000 medical cards and 46,000 GP visit cards in 2009. I am satisfied the centralisation of the medical card application process will ensure a more efficient service for the public during these challenging times.

Deputy Michael Ring

It is another attack on the poor.

Deputy Paul Connaughton

The issue raised by Deputies Ring and Deenihan is connected with the issue I propose to raise, namely, the awarding of medical cards to those aged more than 70 years. As the Minister of State will be aware, every pensioner aged over 70 years received a letter in February from the primary care reimbursement service in Finglas, County Dublin, the office which will carry out all assessments for medical cards. The letter stated that those who believed their income was less than €700 per week in the case of an individual or €1,400 per week in the case of a couple had no reason to return their medical cards. In other words, people would be taken at their word. As we know, 10,000 or 12,000 answered it and said their income was over the guidelines. A commitment was given at that time by the Minister for Health and Children and Professor Drumm that this was the end of it. They gave people a guarantee that this was the only assessment that would be made.

This week, five or six elderly people ranging in age from 75 to 90 called to my clinic. They had another letter in their hands. At this stage they had two letters. They received a new letter last week with a new application form which they had to fill out to apply for a medical card. The application required them to go to their doctor to have it signed, to the bank to prove the amount they had in savings and to the Department of Social Welfare to prove the size of the pension they received.

I know the Minister of State, Deputy Andrews has an interest in this matter. Can he imagine, having been told a month before that this was the end of the assessment, that people received another confusing letter? They were running around as if they were 50 years younger to go to all the various places required and send the application to Finglas in Dublin.

There is great deception going on. This is out of all order. All this has happened within the past month without the Minister for Health and Children or Professor Drumm stating publicly that all persons over 70 with a medical card will be assessed as the due date is reached on their medical cards. This is an outrageous attack on the elderly. The Government could have been honourable and said every person over 70 will be assessed. However, it is beginning to forget the thousands outside on the streets last October. Its memory is getting short.

This is beginning to frighten people. Once this becomes well known this type of deception will not be accepted by the elderly. Can one imagine a 90 year old having to go to the bank, the Department of Social Welfare and the doctor to complete the application and send it to Finglas? There was a telephone number for Finglas one could ring. I tried seven times yesterday and today to get through to it and I only got through this evening. Can one imagine an elderly person in Mountbellow in Galway trying to get through to that number to have a normal, reasonable query answered? If ever we were in for one of the greatest debacles of all time, it will be the medical cards.

Deputy Barry Andrews

I will take this adjournment matter on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney.

Under the Health Act 2008, automatic entitlement to a medical card for persons aged 70 or over ceased on 31 December 2008 and with effect from 1 January 2009 the income thresholds for entitlement to a medical card for those aged 70 or over is €700 gross per week for a single person and €1,400 gross per week for a couple. Where a person aged 70 or over does not qualify for a medical card by virtue of his or her gross income being over the specified thresholds, he or she may apply to the HSE for a medical card or GP visit card under the existing net income thresholds, which allow for medical, nursing and other relevant expenses to be taken into account.

Notwithstanding that, the HSE may issue a medical card on a discretionary basis, if the applicant would otherwise be caused undue hardship in providing general medical and surgical services for himself or herself. Following enactment of the Health Act 2008, the HSE wrote to all medical card holders aged 70 years and over in January 2009. Persons who were in receipt of a medical card without a means test, where they were granted a card on age grounds when they reached the age of 70, were requested, if they were over the income limits set out in the Act, to make a declaration to the HSE on or before 2 March 2009.

Where persons received a medical card after undergoing a means assessment, the HSE wrote to them to advise them that they would retain their card as long as their circumstances did not change. They were not required to take any further action. It must be emphasised that in the normal course of events when the medical card of a person in any age category reaches its expiry date and comes up for review, the HSE will carry out a review to confirm their ongoing eligibility status. The review for persons aged 70 and over will not take the form of a full application but will be a simple review of gross income to ensure continued eligibility and accuracy of information.

To date, 19,954 medical cards for persons aged 70 and over have been returned or removed from the medical card register and 10,690 of these cards were returned to the HSE by persons aged 70 or over whose weekly income was in excess of the specified thresholds. It is important to note that the vast majority of people in the age group, in excess of 343,000, retained their medical card. In addition to the returned medical cards, a further 9,264 cards were removed from the medical card register as part of a data quality exercise, where for example, the HSE had been advised that the card holder is deceased or the card holder was not known at the address. I am satisfied that reviewing of medical card eligibility on expiry or change of circumstances is a necessary process to allow the HSE to maintain accurate database information and the best use of public resources.

Foreign Conflicts.

Deputy Michael D. Higgins

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue concerning the urgent situation which has arisen in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Vanni province where the Tamil population, comprising civilians and a large number of children, is effectively encircled by Sri Lankan forces who announced that they are on the verge of a military victory in the 25 year conflict which has raged in that country.

There are figures which have already been given in evidence to different bodies. For example, Karen Parker, giving evidence before the sub-committee on near eastern, south and central Asian affairs and the committee for foreign affairs of the United States Senate said that from the beginning of the year to the end of February more than 2,000 people had been killed. The number of people injured numbers in the tens of thousands and the number threatened with displacement is between 100,000 and 300,000. The United Nations figure is approximately 200,000.

These people are facing serious difficulties, such as the Sri Lankan army's announcment that it will achieve a military victory and proposes to relocate the civilian Tamil population to approved places. This was preceded, allegedly, by a registration of all Tamil civilians and is one of the problems in the name of conducting a war on terror. We are seeing the war on terror used as a shield to quench the humanitarian and human rights of civilians, the assumption being that all Tamils are potential supporters of the LTTE.

As a country which has had an interest in areas of disaster and conflict, it is equally important to note that the international media is not allowed to write about or access what is taking place in Vanni. Many humanitarian relief organisations have not been allowed into the region. There is a shortage of food, water and medical supplies. In addition, the argument is academic as to whether — as the Government suggests — the Tamil tigers are effectively using the civilian population as hostages. The only way to establish if that is the case is to allow full access to the region. The issue which arises is that there is now a shortage of food and medicine.

I chose this matter as a foreign affairs priority question and I am grateful to raise it tonight. We will not have questions on foreign affairs before Easter and by then it may be too late. I mentioned the numbers of deaths are in the thousands, the numbers of injured are in the tens of thousands and the those faced with displacement are in the hundreds of thousands. I also mentioned that what is taking place is the complete quenching of the right of a minority of people in a country to be recognised.

What has been put into practice is a form of collective punishment and the international responses to the crisis are to pray and hope for a peaceful resolution. I support that. The difficulty is that what is needed is an immediate ceasefire. What is also required is that such a ceasefire would allow full access and that its principles would be based on a parity of esteem. That would enable a political resolution beyond the immediate point of conflict.

It is ridiculous to suggest that a military conflict by the Sinhalese Government over the Tamils will achieve anything in the long term. What will happen is that those who are participating in the conflict will retreat to the jungle. Twenty-five years ago, in a terrible ambush, about 25 members of the Sinhalese community were murdered. The response led to the killing of about a thousand Tamils. Therefore, the legacy of 25 years of remembered violence will continue after an alleged military victory that will suppress the rights of a minority. It is therefore important that the Minister raise immediately with his European colleagues the issue of a ceasefire and access by the agencies to the area of conflict.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Deputy Trevor Sargent)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó hUigínn as ucht an cheist tábhachtach seo a ardú.

My colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin — who apologises for his absence — has repeatedly deplored the horrific humanitarian situation which exists in parts of war-torn northern Sri Lanka, including the Vanni region. It is clear from reports that the situation in Vanni has become intolerable. The most recent estimates from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN, covering the period from 26 March to 2 April, suggest that between 150,000 and 200,000 people are still trapped in the region. Conditions for civilians have continued to deteriorate, with credible reports of an intensification of shelling in the Government-declared no-fire zone, resulting in an average of 60 to 70 deaths per day.

The combat zone has continued to shrink as Government forces have pressed forward with heavy artillery, air strikes and mortar exchanges. The UN places the numbers of killed and wounded well into the thousands, as Deputy Higgins has said, with the vast majority of casualties occurring inside the densely-packed no-fire zone. As the hold by Government forces on Vanni has tightened, more reports are emerging of pressure from the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam, LTTE, on the civilian population. These include the forced recruitment of men and women and even of children as young as 12 years old; at least one mass execution of civilians; mass corporal punishment; retribution against civilians who try to prevent forced recruitment; the blocking of corridors for civilians trying to leave the combat area; the placing of weapons in areas of civilian concentration; and the diversion and possible withholding of humanitarian aid from civilians.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Government have been following the situation in Sri Lanka with grave concern. In a statement issued on 8 February and in reply to parliamentary questions on 10 and 12 February and 24 March, the Minister called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and full access for humanitarian relief. European Union foreign ministers have also expressed their deep concern about the humanitarian crisis, including the vast number of internally displaced people trapped by the fighting, as well as the continuing reports of high civilian casualties. In particular, they have stressed the need for both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to comply with the provisions of international humanitarian law and the principles of the laws of war and have called for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate full and unrestricted access to the conflict area, allowing humanitarian aid to be safely delivered and civilians to leave.

These points were made directly by the Minister for Foreign Affairs to the Sri Lankan Ambassador during a meeting in Dublin on 23 February last. The Minister mentioned in particular our deep concerns about the humanitarian situation in the country — which is affecting not only Tamil civilians but the entire population — as well as the importance of addressing the underlying causes of the conflict through a comprehensive negotiated political settlement. These concerns were repeated yesterday by our ambassador in New Delhi, who is accredited to Sri Lanka, when he spoke to the Sri Lankan ambassador there.

We continue to take the firm view that there can be no military solution to Sri Lanka's political difficulties. A lasting peace settlement will require reconciliation and a political process aimed at protecting the interests of all the citizens of Sri Lanka and enshrining the principle of parity of esteem among its divided communities. Ireland would welcome further activity by the international community, particularly by the UN Security Council, to bring about a swift resolution to the conflict. Should the relevant parties seek our advice with regard to a negotiated peace process, we would give consideration as to how we could best help.

Deputy Michael D. Higgins

The Sri Lankan Government is resisting that.

Deputy Trevor Sargent

I appreciate the Deputy's insights.

With regard to emergency assistance, since 2005 the Government has provided more than €5.3 million for humanitarian and development activities in Sri Lanka. More than $12 million was allocated to Sri Lanka in 2008 from the UN's central emergency response fund, to which Ireland is currently the seventh largest donor. The Red Cross, one of the key organisations at the centre of the response to the humanitarian crisis, also receives regular non-earmarked funding from Irish Aid. In view of the perilous situation in the Vanni region, a decision was taken earlier this week to offer additional funding of €170,000 from the Irish Aid emergency humanitarian assistance fund to Médecins sans Frontières, which is currently providing support to the hospital in Vavuniya and which is treating large numbers of civilians affected by the conflict, both internally displaced persons and the host population. In addition to the medical and nutritional needs identified, there is a heightened need for mental health care arising from the high levels of trauma manifested by civilians escaping the combat zone. The Government will continue to monitor closely the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka, and the possible provision of additional emergency funding is being kept under review.

Deputy Michael D. Higgins

I thank the Minister of State.

Fishing Industry.

Deputy Tom Sheahan

While I understand that every sector of the economy is currently experiencing major difficulties, hardship for the fishermen of west Kerry is nothing new. They are resilient people. Long before the impact of the current global credit crisis, spiralling unemployment rate and economic recession, the fishermen of west Kerry were experiencing severe problems in nearly every aspect of their work. If we see a continuation of the current trend of increasing unemployment among these fishermen, we will see not only the end of a livelihood but the slow erosion of an ancient way of life.

Morale among the men from west Kerry who continue to engage in full-time fishing is now at an all-time low. From speaking to these fishermen as I carry out my work in the constituency, I appreciate the palpable sense of anger, dismay and disillusion. Their anger is understandable. Jobs in the fishing industry are being shed at an alarming rate. Just a few years ago, 15 boats were operating on a full-time basis out of the quaint fishing village of Baile na nGall. Now there are only two boats, and these operate on a part-time basis.

I must mention the division of the additional mackerel quota that was allocated recently by the Minister. Factories dependent on these fishermen have suffered due to a sharp decline in activity in the local primary sector. We have seen these factories cut their workforces considerably, adding more and more people to the live register in the local area social welfare office in Dingle. Incidentally, there was an increase of 89% in the number of people signing on in the Dingle office between January 2007 and January 2009. Many of these people were previously employed locally in the fishing industry.

In the case of Baile na nGall, many of the former fishermen who are now out of work were previously dependent on salmon fishing. These men lost their livelihoods because of policy changes, but due to an appalling lack of action from the State and its agencies no replacement jobs have been created in the area. The impact on the area has been massive. The ending of salmon fishing in Baile na nGall has affected nearly every household in the village and the surrounding townlands. Now, unemployment is the harsh reality for people who were previously involved in catching, processing, landing, selling and transporting the fish.

The people of Baile na nGall need to know what the State will do to help them recover from this enormous blow. They seem to have been forgotten and their anger is totally understandable and justified. One fisherman recently suggested to me that there was an opening for marketing bass angling on a year-round basis but feels there is no State support to show him where to take his idea. Another man suggested the need for cold storage units to take mackerel to markets but does not know where to start. There is a general sense of helplessness that needs to be addressed.

I must address the issue of the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority. Speaking recently to fishermen who operate out of Dingle, I found that a system of double standards was a major source of discontent. Dingle fishermen claim they are being made to feel like criminals as they try to make a living. They claim that our authorities are making their lives difficult by taking issue with the most trivial of matters. At the same time, there are claims that the crews of foreign registered fishing vessels are effectively operating as they please, with little or no inspection or scrutiny. One anecdotal report that was relayed to me suggests that on one day last summer, a Spanish boat unloaded more than 1,000 boxes of fish in Dingle, with no officers or inspectors present. Later the same day, an Irish boat that was landing two boxes of fish had major difficulties with an inspector who had travelled from Kilkenny and attempted to confiscate the catch. Apparently, the only fault of the Irish skipper was that he had omitted the letter "P" when including his licence number on his paperwork.

This type of bureaucracy is the reason the referendum on the Lisbon treaty was rejected by people in rural and coastal areas. We have been warned at meetings of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by representatives of one fishing organisation that its members will campaign strongly for a second rejection of the treaty because of this degree of red tape. This type of story is not uncommon. I have been told of foreign registered boats using illegal nets that cover miles of Irish waters, sweeping everything in their paths, with no regard for the law and no intervention from the authorities.

Investment in fishing is another issue of concern. Several miles to the north of Dingle, in Brandon, local fishermen have been calling for an extension to their pier for many years. The existing pier is no longer able to serve the needs of the community. These fishermen are getting the run-around from the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Kerry County Council and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. At a public meeting on the issue recently, fishermen expressed their anger and disappointment at the disgraceful lack of progress in the past decade. Perhaps the Minister will investigate this matter and will arrange to meet representatives of the group. There seems to be a serious lack of co-ordination between the aforementioned three bodies on this issue. Ultimately, the fishermen of west Kerry need to know the State is on their side, not working against them. Conditions are difficult enough for these fishermen given quota limitations, spiralling overhead costs and the ever present danger of the sea. They need to know that the State recognises the importance and values the contribution of this indigenous industry. They must see tangible efforts to improve their way of life.

The issues I have outlined are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems affecting fishermen in west Kerry. Serious attention must be given to their concerns and to the concerns of the Irish fishing industry in general. There must be recognition that fishing, despite the major difficulties being faced by Irish fishermen, represents a lucrative potential source of employment for the people of this country. At present, I do not see that recognition from the Government. This must change if we are to see progress in the industry.

Deputy Trevor Sargent

Ar dtús báire, tá áthas orm deis a fháil labhairt ar chúrsaí iascaireachta in Iarthar Dhuibhneach. Mar a tharlaíonn, bhí píosa deas maicréil agam cúpla uair a' chloig ó shin sa bhialann i dTeach Laighean. Bhí sé blasta go maith. Dá bhrí sin, tá suim faoi leith agam i saol agus todhchaí na hiascaireachta. Ní hamháin sin, ach tá iascairí i mó dháilcheantar fhéin, mar atá i ndáilcheantar an Teachta Sheahan. Bíonn mé ag éisteacht le glór Bhaile na nGall gach lá ar Raidió na Gaeltachta. Gan amhras, má tá daoine ag iarraidh buaileadh le hoifigigh ó mo Roinn, nó liomsa, ní gá dóibh ach litir a scríobh agus déanfar é sin. Is ábhar eile é sin. Ba mhaith liom tagairt ghinearálta a dhéanamh ar an gceist a d'ardaigh an Teachta Sheahan anocht.

The most critical issue for the fishing sector nationally and in west Kerry is the impact of progressively reducing quotas, which has been the pattern for several years. This reflects the reality, supported by scientific evidence, of the decline to dangerously low levels of many fish stocks of importance to Irish fishermen. The view of many fishermen that some stocks have recovered dramatically does not at present enjoy scientific support. The species that has attracted most headlines is cod, although other important stocks such as whiting, sole and herring are also in need of rebuilding.

It has been a consistent aim of this and previous Administrations to restore our fish stocks to high levels and to a healthy state in order to sustain our industry and coastal communities. It is generally accepted that effective management and conservation measures must be adopted at European Union and national levels to rebuild our fish stocks and ensure a viable and sustainable livelihood for fishermen. This year we faced a severe range of cuts across many of the commercial stocks on which our fleet relies. The Minister, Deputy Smith, and Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, only accepted cuts on stocks where the science was strong. In the final package, a balance was struck that will give fishermen whitefish opportunities to the value of €202 million for 2009, an increase from €194 million in 2008. In addition, the delivery of additional quotas for the main commercial stocks of importance to Ireland through the invocation of the Hague preferences on 11 fish stocks around Ireland was critical to provide good fishing opportunities for 2009.

The Hague preferences agreed by Heads of State in 1976 give Ireland additional quota in certain species and, as such, are fundamental to ensuring relative stability. The preferences came under sustained attack from several member states this year and their removal was identified as a substantial risk with serious consequences for Ireland given that they almost doubled our cod quota in the Celtic Sea and increased the quota in the Irish Sea by some 40%. I cannot emphasise enough the difficulty Ministers faced on several fronts in regard to the Hague preferences. However, I am pleased to say that they have been successful in their efforts to defend this issue of critical importance for Irish fishermen.

On the pelagic stocks, the total fishing opportunities available to Ireland equate to 137,000 tonnes in 2009. Of key importance is the 33% increase in mackerel quota secured for 2009 and the roll-over in the 40,500 tonnes of horse mackerel quota. With regard to the new provisions for the distribution of the 2009 mackerel quota, having examined in detail the cases made on behalf of the polyvalent fleet and the refrigerated sea water, RSW, fleet, respectively, the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, decided to introduce new arrangements for the share out of mackerel for 2009 and future years. Under the new arrangements, the polyvalent segment will be allocated 13% of the mackerel quota. For 2009, this will involve a total allocation of 8,562 tonnes for the polyvalent fleet rather than the 7,000 tonnes set allocation in place heretofore. This allocation for 2009 involves a 22.3% increase for the polyvalent segment.

The representatives of the polyvalent — or multi-purpose — vessels in the Irish fleet had sought an increased share of Ireland's mackerel quota for 2009, while the representatives of the RSW fleet, based in the north west, opposed any increase in the share for the polyvalent vessels. The background to this situation is that the allocation arrangements were last revised in 2001. Since then, the polyvalent vessels have had an allocation of 7,000 tonnes of mackerel from Ireland's quota. This represented 10% of the Irish quota when the arrangements were put in place in 2001. In all years except 2002 the Irish mackerel quota has fallen well below the 2001 level — as low as 46,000 in 2005 — and the allocation to the polyvalent vessels has remained at the set level of 7,000 tonnes. The reductions in the quota each year were borne in total by the RSW pelagic segment vessels. In 2009, the mackerel quota has been increased to 66,068 tonnes, which remains below the 2001 quota when the share out arrangement was last determined.

I will now deal with the new days at sea scheme as implemented from 1 February. While these provisions relate to the Irish Sea and the north west, the reality is that our fishing fleet is mobile and that vessels from the south west operate in both areas from time to time. The European Union Fisheries Councils in November and December 2008 adopted a new cod recovery plan. The regulations are applicable to the fishing fleets of all member states fishing with specified fishing gears in the relevant sea areas. Under the regulations, Ireland and other relevant member states are required to introduce and implement a licensing regime to manage their allocation of fishing effort in respect of days at sea limits in areas VIA, north west of Ireland, and VIIA, the Irish Sea, for vessels using specified gear types.

Following consultations with representatives of the fishing industry, my Department, as required, introduced a pilot system of authorisations and allocations of fishing effort for the period 1 February 2009 to 30 April 2009. I am well aware that the nature of these new conservation measures, which limit the level of effort fishermen can utilise, poses serious challenges for fishermen. As a result, the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, established a steering group involving the Federation of Irish Fishermen, FIF, the Irish Fishermen's Organisation, IFO, the Department and its agencies to provide support to the industry in regard to the practical implementation of these new measures. This group, which is currently meeting on a weekly basis, has already put forward amendments that have been accepted and implemented. It is important to reiterate that these measures were introduced on a pilot basis and that the steering group is working hard to develop new proposals within the EU legal framework established for the second management period, which will begin on 1 May.

I accept that for those within the fisheries sector, and indeed those looking in from the outside, it appears, with some justification, that we are stumbling from one crisis to another. Last year, we were hit with escalating fuel prices bringing into question the economic viability of the sector. While, thankfully, the fuel issue has at least abated for now, it did show up some of the imbalances in our fishing fleet which I am confident will have been alleviated by the impact of the whitefish decommissioning scheme. A total of 46 vessels have been approved under the scheme at a total cost of €36.6 million. In Kerry, four vessels were decommissioned at a cost of €2.6 million. Nationally, these vessels represent a total capacity decommissioned of 6,913 gross tonnes and 19,356 kilowatts which has been taken out of Ireland's catching fleet for good, leaving better opportunities for those fishermen remaining.

Of particular interest to the lobster fishermen of west Kerry is the progress on the proposed lobster management plan launched in April 2008 and subsequently sent out for public consultation and completed in July 2008. The results of that process have been analysed by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, and a report has been prepared. This report has informed the debate and direction in which the process is developing. The driver behind these proposals is the need to protect fishermen in specified areas from the possibility of an influx of fishing vessels by limiting the amount of capacity that can fish lobster in a geographical area. If local fishermen choose to put their time, effort and money into conservation programmes in order to improve their fishery, they should be rewarded by having the security to do so in confidence. I understand that Minister of State, Deputy Tony Killeen, will shortly consider revised proposals in this area.

We are, undoubtedly, facing a challenging time in fisheries as elsewhere in the economy. The fishing sector is undergoing change, some of which is enforced by factors over which we do not have full control. As I mentioned earlier, the introduction of conservation measures is necessary to rebuild fish stocks and deliver a long-term future for coastal communities. However, the benefits of the initiatives I have just outlined will be felt in west Kerry as in other coastal communities and this upbeat assessment is based on a firmly held contention that with innovative thinking and a "can do" attitude we can collectively surmount all the challenges facing us and ultimately move the Irish seafood sector into a position of sustainability and strength for future generations.

Deputy Tom Sheahan

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 9 April 2009.

Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 8 Apr 2009