Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 March 2018
706. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine regarding the option of issuing P licences to fishermen who have UK registered boats but would have fished the inshore six mile zone area up until the point at which the Voisinage agreements were struck down in the Supreme Court; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12216/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fisheries (Amendment) Act 2003 transferred the functions of sea-fishing boat licensing from the Minister to the Licensing Authority for Sea-fishing Boats, which operates on an independent basis subject to criteria set out in that Act and Ministerial Policy Directives. The Licensing Authority is the Registrar General of Fishing Boats, an official of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine or, under the superintendence of the Registrar General, the Deputy Registrar General of Fishing Boats. All applications for sea-fishing boat licences are considered by the Licensing Authority.
Section 3(5) of the 2003 Act prohibits the Minister from exercising any power or control in relation to individual cases, or a group of cases, with which the Licensing Authority is or may be concerned.
I have made enquiries of the Registrar General who advises me that in 2003, following approval from the European Commission, the Scheme for the Licensing and Registration of Traditional Pot Fishing Boats in the Irish Inshore Fleet was launched. This scheme, also known as the “Potting Scheme”, was designed to regularise the licensing and registration of small inshore boats where the applicant, inter alia, had to demonstrate a commercial sea-fishing record by means of pots in the inshore sector as well as demonstrating a commercial sea-fishing record (by the applicant or immediate family) going back to 1990. Applications under the Scheme had to be received not later than 18 June 2003.
I am further advised that the Scheme closed on 11 August 2006. This date was set because of an obligation imposed by the European Commission on Ireland to complete the licensing and registration of eligible vessels under the Schemes at the earliest possible date as part of a process of finalising the fishing fleet capacity limits of all Member States. As the Potting Scheme is now closed, no further applications can be considered for a licence under its terms and conditions.
It is however, open to any qualifying person(s) to apply to licence and register a sea-fishing boat at any time under normal licensing procedures. The Licensing Authority will consider the issue of a sea fishing-boat licence in situations where all the requirements of current licensing policy, including the provision of appropriate replacement capacity (i.e. gross tonnage and engine power), have been complied with.
