(Limerick West): I wish to take Questions Nos. 7 and 28 together.
A total of 28 Spanish registered fishing vessels were arrested in the period 1 June 1989 to 1 June 1990. Fines totalling £203,507 have been levied in 11 of these cases. The remaining cases are still pending.Five of these arrests involve vessels which were previously arrested for fishery related offences.
I have written to my counterpart in Spain drawing his attention to the recent very serious incidents involving Spanish vessels off the Irish coast and I will be pursuing the matter further when I meet him shortly in Spain.
I have already explained to the House during a recent Adjournment debate the detailed steps taken to deal with recent incidents off the south coast. There have been four cases involving foreign vessels reported to my Department since the beginning of the year. All four incidents occurred outside Irish territorial waters. I would like to stress once again that I will not tolerate interference with Irish fishing vessels going about their legitimate pursuits in Irish waters. Notwithstanding current uncertainties surrounding international law as it applies on the high seas, I am satisfied that our ability and determination to protect the Irish fleet from intimidation and harassment have not been impaired. The Navy's active and heightened presence off the south coast will help ensure as far as possible the continuing safety of the Irish fleet. To date, I am pleased to note, the Navy's interventions have restored a significant degree of order to current fishing activities in the area.
My main aim at this juncture is to obtain the active support and co-operation of those member states directly involved with a view to bringing this deplorable intimidation to an end. In so far as the legal issues relating to these incidents are concerned, I would like to assure the House that such issues are being urgently reviewed in consultation with the Attorney General.