Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 November 2021
718. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will release the proposed terms for acceptance into the temporary and permanent tie-up and cessation schemes suggested in the recently published report of the Seafood Sector Task Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54464/21]
View answerI established a Seafood Sector Task Force in March 2021 to examine the impacts on our fishing sector and coastal communities of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and to make recommendations to me on initiatives that could be taken to provide supports for development and restructuring so as to ensure a profitable and sustainable fishing fleet and to identify opportunities for jobs and economic activity in coastal communities dependent on fishing.
I received the report of the Task Force on 11th October and it makes recommendations for a broad range of support schemes to assist the seafood sector and coastal communities to mitigate the impacts of the TCA, including temporary and permanent cessation schemes for the fishing sector, liquidity support schemes, capital investment schemes, marketing supports, marine infrastructure renewal and enhanced community led local development through the seven Fisheries Local Action Groups.
In relation to temporary fleet tie-up, the earlier Interim Report of the Task Force had recommended that such a scheme be implemented in 2021 as an interim measure to support the income of the whitefish fleet pending more permanent fleet restructuring measures such as decommissioning. I accepted that recommendation and, following State Aid approval, a Brexit Temporary Fleet Tie-up Scheme opened for the period October to December 2021. Details are available on Bord Iascaigh Mhara's website at the following link bim.ie/fisheries/funding/brexit-temporary-tie-up-scheme/. Applications for tie-up during December close on 15 November.
In relation to the recommended whitefish fleet decommissioning scheme, and the recommended whitefish and pelagic tie-up schemes for 2022, and indeed the other recommendations of the Task Force, I am urgently examining the Task Force report with a view to quickly implementing a comprehensive response to the impacts of the TCA on our fishing sector and coastal communities. The measures recommended in the report are actively being examined with particular regard to available funds, eligibility of the recommended measures for funding under the BAR and with regard to State Aid rules and the Public Spending Code.
