Vol. 553 No. 2
432 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the reason he has failed to respond on a number of occasions to representations on behalf of a person (details supplied) in County Meath regarding a form of set-aside for fishermen similar to that which applies in EU aid for the tillage sector. [13477/02]
My Department has received correspondence from the person referred to by the Deputy regarding set-aside of commercial salmon fishing engines. In October 2000, my Department requested the seven regional fisheries boards to encourage the development of measures at catchment level to incentivise the reduction of the commercial salmon fishing effort based on consensus and local contribution and to forward such proposals to my Department and the National Salmon Commission. The person referred to by the Deputy, who I understand is a member of the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, was advocating a set aside of commercial salmon fishing engines in the Boyne estuary, which is situated in the fisheries region of the board. However, to date my Department has received no substantive proposal for a set-aside in the Boyne estuary from the eastern board or any other group.
