Government u-turn on ‘Lost at Sea’ scheme

The Joint Oireachtas Committee for Agriculture has invited Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly to make a presentation on the Special Report on the Lost at Sea Scheme.
It represents a u-turn by the government which was heavily criticised by the Ombudsman for refusing to debate the report or implement its recommendations.
One of those was that compensation be paid to the Byrne family of Bruckless, following the sinking of the family trawler which claimed the life of Francis and Jimmy Byrne in 1981.
An application by the family was rejected by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, which had control of fisheries at the time, a decision slammed by the Ombudsman.