Debate contribution: Fishing Industry: Capital Investment
Debate contribution by Ms Diane Forsythe on .
- MLA
- Ms Diane Forsythe
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 27 February 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Fishing Industry: Capital Investment
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4237537
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Mr Speaker, I thank you for your work in your previous role as Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. I welcome the motion. The Northern Ireland fishing industry has enjoyed success for generations, and, like the previous Member to speak, I have close experience of it, having grown up in the Mourne fishing town of Kilkeel. I have always appreciated the industry and how the harbour formed the heart of our town. The crews on fishing boats large and small worked so hard throughout the year, often through extreme weather and the difficult process of professionally navigating the Kilkeel pier. It is not just the fishermen but the entire harbour community that supports the fishing industry and benefits from investment in it, including a number of fish factories, fish markets and shops, as well as the local seafood cookery school and successful boat-building businesses. Our fishing industry is incredibly important. I am in agreement with my party colleagues Michelle McIlveen and William Irwin and support the motion to safeguard and build on the success of Northern Ireland's fishing industry. The industry needs our support as it faces significant challenges. As with so many businesses and homes, the cost of fuel and rising input costs for many of our local fishermen cause great concern, but the biggest concern raised with me, week in, week out, is, as has been mentioned, about the workforce. The introduction of the £38,700 salary threshold for workers on skilled worker visas will be devastating for the fishing industry. Even the uncertainty at the moment is taking its toll, as fishermen are struggling to get seafarers with the required English qualifications. I have asked the AERA Minister about his plans for that, and his response was that he would liaise with and write to different bodies. I urge him to raise the issue as a matter of urgency, as the fishing industry is suffering critically and is in daily contact with me on the issue. While decisions are not being taken to safeguard the industry and reflect the particular needs of the fishing sector in Northern Ireland and its ability to access labour, it is suffering. The capital and running costs of fishing boats are high, as mentioned by my colleague Michelle McIlveen. The Maritime and Fisheries Fund provided funding for a range of critical things across the fishing industry, and fishermen rely on a lot of them. That support was available for projects that delivered on sustainable economic growth in the sea fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The purpose of the scheme was to continue to provide Northern Ireland with a financial support mechanism for the fisheries, inland waters, aquaculture and maritime sectors. The fund closed in 2023 and has not reopened. I urge the Minister to reinstate that fund to support the delivery of adequate and ongoing practical and financial support to those who need it. We have seen ambitious plans for significant investment in the Kilkeel outer harbour come and go. Those plans moved through different Departments but never progressed, to great disappointment locally. We need to secure investment. We want to see the local fishing industry being in a position to take advantage of new fishing opportunities. As my colleague Michelle McIlveen outlined, Northern Ireland has fallen behind in that area. I call on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to stand up for the Northern Ireland fishing industry, reiterate his Department's commitment to providing the capital funding necessary to redevelop Northern Ireland's harbour infrastructure across Kilkeel, Ardglass and Portavogie, and commit to a time frame for the delivery of that.
600 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.94).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.94 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.63 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.36 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
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