I thank the Deputy. I recognise her support for the producer organisations, particularly that of the inshore sector, which was not as strongly represented in the past because it did not have that platform. I take her point on the inshore fishing. This is something that has a very sustainable approach and it is important as well for our inshore sector. Obviously, we only have a certain allocation of fish and how it is divided up between the different sectors takes into account the historic track record. Any change t…

Regarding the foreshore licensing, we have worked hard to try to make sure the timelines involved for allocating a foreshore licence are reduced, certainly within my own Department. If it is a fishing-related licence, my Department issues the foreshore licence. If it is more maritime and leisure, it is issued by the Department of housing. The challenge is where to draw the line. In some cases, there are small exemptions such as for planning. A garage can be built at the back of a house if it complies with certain t…

I have not come to that conclusion; that has been the state of play for a number of years. A review was done a few years ago which adjusted it and gave more to the inshore sector. It is still small and it was divided up between the pelagic sector and the polyvalent sector. Every time there is a change made to this it can be quite contested because the other sectors - polyvalent and pelagic - resist any reductions to their mackerel. It is something I am currently reflecting on whether there is a need for further con…

This is an important issue. There obviously is massive potential and it is really important to the future of our country that we develop sustainably the potential of offshore renewable energy to meet our own national need but the capacity is there to produce enough electricity for five times what we need to become a net exporter. Obviously there is great potential there which we will step out. Central to how we will do that is engaging with the fishers who currently use parts of that ground for fishing opportunitie…

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for that contribution. It is an important issue, and it is important that everybody is part of that process because there is so much to do in this space, and so much potential. However, we have to respect those who have been on this largely on their own for many generations, and who depend on it for their livelihoods as well. Captain Robert McCabe is leading the co-ordination of that offshore renewable group between the three relevant Departments. I will go back to Deputy Cairns regardin…

There is about an eight-week period for the consultation. We will have to gather that and assess it and then step it out with regard to getting to a decision. Over the next number of months, we should get to that point. The Deputy made the point that it is five years. This came in, and the former Minister, Deputy Michael Creed, did really good work on this. He introduced the 6 mile nautical ban for vessels over 18 m. Unfortunately, it was struck down through a legal challenge. That worked its way through the courts…

No.

This is a major success we have had in terms of a one-off increase in our mackerel quota. I engaged on this with my team when we identified an opportunity. At the time, we were accused by the Danish minister of conducting a midnight heist at the negotiations when we went after this particular quota. We succeeded there at the most recent December fisheries quotas talks of getting a permanent allocation.

It is 25% of that total allowable catch, TAC, going forward on an annual basis.

The Danish minister made a number of offers in advance previous to that, which did not hold any water. I refuted them as not cutting the mustard. I kept working on this until I got a deal which would actually work and deliver and which we did deliver.

What we have achieved-----

One of the Danish offers was 3,000 tonnes of mackerel for two different years-----

-----which I refused and blew out of the water because it would simply not cut the mustard. After refusing a number of deals, I got a much better one. Incidentally when I presented it to your own colleague, Patrick Murphy, I can recall him saying that for the first time he had some hope for our fishing sector because of the progress made with this deal. It was welcomed by him at that point but I see he has changed his stance since then.

No.

No, it is simply a sign that Deputy Tóibín does not know what he is talking about, and that he does not have an understanding of the issue. I have secured approximately 4,300 additional tonnes of mackerel to be fished in Ireland this year.

Yes, this 4,300 tonnes will be fished this year because of the deal I secured at the December Council. That involves a 40% allocation of the TAC from last year, as well as a 30% allocation this year, both of those being fished this year. Going forward, in the long term, there will be a 25% allocation which we secured. This is now permanently additional to the Irish quota.

It will depend on what the quota is in any one year. It was 2,495 tonnes last year and it will be 1,769 tonnes in 2024. This represents a 30% amount, so we are talking in the region of 1,500 tonnes.

No, it shows that the Deputy does not get this issue and is badly briefed on it.

I think I have made the position very clear.

Had Deputy Collins been listening to what I said at the outset, he would have heard how I laid out the negotiations in relation to an engagement with the Commission on Iceland. I, as the Minister representing Ireland, have been the one who has been taking a very hard line and refusing to agree to any mandate for negotiations or for conducting an agreement with Iceland. As a result of that there has not been one. I have laid all this out. The Deputy obviously has not been listening to me. I often hear of Ministers b…