Vol. 560 No. 1
114 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if, as part of the new Common Fisheries Policy regulations, he has made progress in securing for Irish fishermen, an increase in the percentage of total EU quota allocation. [27056/02]
The Common Fisheries Policy reform package agreed at the December Council was a complex compromise which contains many of the recommendations of the national strategy review group which worked with me in preparing the national position in the reform process. The reform package included key national priorities such as the continuation of the Hague quota preferences, an action plan to address the problem of juvenile fish catches, stronger control and enforcement and new regional advisory councils giving fishermen a strong voice in shaping future fisheries policy at EU level.
The result of the Council agreement must be seen in the context of rapidly declining fish stocks and reduced quotas for all member states. Agreement was secured in the new framework regulation that when the Community establishes new fishing opportunities the Council shall decide on the allocation of the opportunities, taking into account the interests of each member state. In addition, in the face of concerted pressure from five member states, I was successful in having the Hague preferences specifically recognised within the framework regulation, something greatly welcomed by the industry. The Hague preferences are of critical importance to Ireland as each year they deliver additional quotas for many of the key whitefish stocks in our waters.
There has been a sustained attempt in recent years to eliminate the Hague preferences and thereby reduce Ireland's share of the total EU quota allocation. There was an intensified effort in December to deny Ireland these extra quotas and, heading into the Council, I was faced with the situation whereby the draft framework regulation contained no reference to the Hague preferences, with the very real risk of these additional quota entitlements being lost for good.
After lengthy and at times fraught negotiations, I succeeded in overcoming the legislative obstacle and I formally achieved the reinsertion of the Hague preferences into the new CFP regulation, as well as securing the extra whitefish quotas of about 2,000 tonnes for 2003 under the Hague preferences. I also secured changes to the new CFP regulation to ensure there is flexibility in relation to revisions to allocation keys.
While the Minister may have been fraught over there, it is guaranteed that fishermen were frothing over here and not for love of the Minister. Following the fisheries negotiations in Brussels recently, the Minister stated that he had negotiated a satisfactory deal for fishermen. I wish to pose several questions with regard to what the Minister means by "satisfactory" and state what I consider unsatisfactory.
In 2002, the total quota tonnage was over 200,000 tonnes; in talks in which the Minister participated recently, he achieved a little over 190,000 tonnes for 2003, a reduction of 10,000 tonnes. I cannot understand how the Minister can claim this was a satisfactory deal. This will devastate the whitefish fleet in the west and north-west due to boats being restricted to nine days at sea per month. The Minister's claims that he would protect the Irish Box by restricting the number of foreign trawlers to 40 rings hollow on this side of the House. The Minister has totally conceded to the Spanish in giving greater access to the Irish Box while the Irish fleet has access for just nine days per month.
Is the Minister receiving a list of the vessels entering the Irish Box at present? He said the number had not reached double figures but I do not care what the figures are. I want to know if the Minister knows the names of the vessels entering and the times of entry. During the negotiations, the Taoiseach said that we had to broker a better deal. I want to know what the Minister said to the Taoiseach when he came back from the negotiations.
A very good deal was brokered—
I would like to see it outlined.
—in the context of the position we were in. I recall a former party colleague of the Deputy's who was in a Wexford pub when he was supposed to be negotiating on beef with the Russians.
We are in the present, not the past.
This is typical. The Minister should concentrate on the subject.
I was not in any pub, I assure the House.
The Minister might as well have been in the pub.
The Minister without interruption, please.
Deputy Kehoe is correct to say that last year's quota was 200,000 tonnes and that this year's is 190,000. That is in the context of a position where there were huge reductions in stocks and scientists were calling for a moratorium on fishing in all the waters around our coast with regard to a number of species. Going into the Council meeting there was no possibility of having the Hague preferences, which are very important to us. I was faced with the possibility of either a moratorium or a days-at-sea restriction in relation to all Irish waters. Despite the message put around at the December Council, where it was said this would devastate the entire west coast of Ireland, a small portion of the north-west of Ireland, from Donegal Bay upwards, not from Galway Bay, is affected. In answer to a later question, which may not be reached during the time for oral questions, I point out that at the very most only 20 boats will be affected by the days-at-sea limitation.
What about Greencastle?
If a proportion of those 20 boats make a choice based on the type of fishing they have carried out over recent years, that figure will be even lower. I accept they are affected and that is unfortunate. That small section was included in the days-at-sea limitation because the UK is a supporter of the days-at-sea limitation in relation to cod and hake. The scientific proofs strongly suggested that there should be a moratorium. I do not accept it was a bad deal. It was a very good deal.
May I ask one brief supplementary? If the Minister is a man he will stand up and answer it. Has the Minister met the fishing organisations?
I am a man. I met the fishing organisations on Monday last.
Are they happy?
Are the organisations happy?
I met them on Monday. They are reasonably happy and in their comments to the media they said it was a very constructive meeting with the Minister.
We got it out of him at last.
