Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 November 2021
264. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Irish boats which normally operate in UK waters will face the same trajectory as our French counterparts; if they will require to have a licence from the UK authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55006/21]
View answerWithin the terms of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), access arrangements are set out in Article 500 (1).
Currently, 358 Irish vessels are licensed by the UK authorities and have been granted an authorisation by my Department to fish in the UK's 12-200 nautical mile zone. All licensed and registered Irish fishing vessels which applied for access to the UK's 12-200 miles zone have been granted a licence by the UK authorities for 2021. Irish fishing vessels must hold a UK licence and are granted an access authorisation by my Department to fish in UK waters.
Under the TCA, access in each others 6-12 miles zones for both parties has been considerably reduced. The UK vessels no longer have access to Ireland's 6-12nm zone in the Irish sea. Subject to relevant track record, UK vessels may be authorised to fish off the south east coast from Mine Head to Carnsore Point in the 6-12 miles zone. The UK vessels have no other access to this zone.
The only access Irish vessels have to the UK 6-12 zone is potentially around the Isle of Man subject to a relevant track record of fishing in the area. The records demonstrate that some Irish fishing vessels have fished to some degree for herring in the Isle of Man 6-12 miles zone.
The Voisinage (or “neighbourhood”) arrangements between Ireland and Northern Ireland have provided reciprocal fishing access for more than 50 years. These arrangements have allowed boats from Northern Ireland to fish in coastal waters in Ireland. They have also allowed Irish-registered sea-fishing boats access to fish in coastal waters in Northern Ireland. The European Commission has confirmed that these arrangements are preserved under the TCA by Article 511 ‘Relationship with other agreements’. The application of the arrangements post-Brexit is governed by the Sustainable Management of External Fishing Fleets Regulation (2017/2403).
My Department has regularly submitted lists of Irish sea-fishing applicant vessels to the European Commission seeking authorisation for them to fish in the Northern Ireland 0-6 nautical mile zone and was informed by the European Commission on 9th July 2021 that the UK authorities had permitted 195 Irish vessels to fish in the UK 0-6 nautical mile zone from 10th July 2021. My Department continues to review applications from Irish sea-fishing boat owners and additional applications are sent to the European Commission at regular intervals. Two hundred and three vessels had been licensed by 31st October 2021.
