I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 35 together.
I would like to assure the Deputies that the terms enshrined in the Treaty of Accession of Spain and Portugal will ensure that Ireland's vital fisheries interests will be protected in the enlarged Community and that there will be contained scope for further development. The fishing quotas for 1986 negotiated at meetings of the EC Council of Ministers for Fisheries in December last are very satisfactory from our point of view. By comparison with 1985 quotas, the increases secured for 1986 are based on average values worth over £5 million extra.
As the Deputies are aware, responsibility for fisheries protection is proper to the Minister for Defence.