Provisions for assisting inshore fishermen affected by bad weather are to be included in the 1999 Social Welfare Bill, which is due to be published by the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, this week.
The development follows talks with the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods. Mr Ahern is due to meet representatives of the Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation (IS&WFO) today on the issue.
The IS&WFO has urged the Minister to introduce a realistic scheme of social welfare for fishermen, and has asked that the system of tax credits for seafarers introduced last year be extended to cover fishing skippers and crew. Currently self-employed share fishermen who have not availed of the optional social welfare scheme are not entitled to any form of State aid during prolonged bad-weather periods.
The IS&WFO claims that some fishing families are trying to live on £50 a week, after 16 weeks of hardship. A continuous series of Atlantic depressions kept many of the smaller vessels in the whitefish fleet tied up for long periods, from October 1st until late last month.
Dr Woods has asked industry representatives to present him with facts, and has set up a working group to examine the problem.
The IS&WFO said this was a short-term problem which required a short-term solution, compensation. However, in the longer term the social welfare system was not geared to help fishermen affected by long periods of bad weather.
Earlier this week six skippers signed contracts for six of the 31 new vessels due to join the Irish fleet under the whitefish renewal scheme. Nine skippers have now signed contracts for new boats.
