Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
804. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that none of his predecessors signed off on the equivalent of SI 318 of 2020 this year, before An Taoiseach did so on 26 August 2020. [28763/20]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the 2009 EU Fisheries Control Regulation 1224//2009 and EU Commission Implementing Regulation 404/2011 introduced points systems for serious infringements of the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy committed inter alia by the licence holder of a fishing vessel. These are intended to complement sanctions and promote compliance and were required to be in place on 1st of January 2012. To this end, An Taoiseach, acting as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, signed into force the European Union (Common Fisheries Policy)(Point System) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 318 of 2020) on 26 August 2020.
Prior to that date in 2020, possible next steps in terms of fully meeting Ireland’s EU obligations in this matter were under consideration in the context of the unprecedented annulment of the European Union (Common Fisheries Policy) (Point System) Regulations 2018, S.I. No. 89 of 2018 and also the receipt by Ireland from the EU Commission of its related Reasoned Opinion in July 2020.
