125. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the reason why the Angling Consultative Council of Ireland established by himself in November 2020 has reached an impasse, and the raison d’être for its establishment considering the existence of the National Inland Fisheries Forum under the Inland Fisheries Act 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42188/24]

In November 2020, I established the Angling Consultative Council of Ireland (ACCI), a stakeholder advisory group comprising angling bodies with a national remit. ACCI, now renamed as the Angling Advisory Group (AAG) provides a platform for policy inputs and addressing shared issues for angling specifically, across its diverse disciplines. The Group is open to all National Angling Representative Bodies.

There is no impasse in respect of this ACCI/AAG forum - the Group having met most recently on 6th August 2024 and 15th October 2024. The AAG is chaired by my Department and also includes representation from Inland Fisheries Ireland's (IFI) senior executive team.

The National Inland Fisheries Forum (NIFF) comprises a significantly broader range of national stakeholder interests beyond just angling.