CJ Gaffney says Minister Dooley dismissed MEP and Commission support, calling letters soft language during compensation meeting
CJ Gaffney Details Meeting With Minister Timmy Dooley
CJ Gaffney has accused Minister of State Timmy Dooley of dismissing political and European-level support for his family’s case, after the Minister described letters from MEPs and the European Commission as “soft language” during a meeting at Agriculture House.
Gaffney was speaking following the meeting on Thursday 5 February 2026, where he sought compensation for losses suffered by his family due to what they maintain was a fishing vessel that was fundamentally defective from launch.
According to Gaffney, the meeting focused heavily on why no compensation would be offered, rather than addressing the substance of the evidence presented.
Minister Criticises MEP Letters as “Soft Language”
Gaffney said Minister Dooley dismissed a letter signed by ten Members of the European Parliament, as well as correspondence from the European Commission, arguing that neither carried meaningful weight.
“He said the letters from the Commission and from the ten MEPs were soft language and didn’t really say anything,” Gaffney said.
He added that the Minister expressed the same view about a letter from European Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis sent to Irish MEP Kathleen Funchion.
Gaffney said the comments were particularly striking given the level of political support his family has received.
“These are elected representatives and the European Commission, yet he brushed them aside as if they were irrelevant,” he said.
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Tractor Comparison Highlights Disconnect
During the meeting, Gaffney said Minister Dooley compared the situation to agricultural machinery, stating that if his father’s tractor broke down and could not be returned to the manufacturer, he would never expect the State to compensate him.
Gaffney said the comparison demonstrated a lack of understanding of the family’s case.
“This ignores the fact that the boat was wrong from launch day, and that it was signed off by the German Marine Survey Office and the classification society as meeting stability regulations when we can prove it did not,” he said.
Conflicting Government Justifications
Gaffney said the family has received contradictory explanations from successive ministers.
“Under the previous Minister we were told they could not help us because it would open the floodgates. Now we are told there are not enough of us,” he said.
He added that Minister Dooley cited the mica redress scheme as an example of why the family could not be helped, arguing that hundreds of cases existed there, while this case involved an individual family.
According to Gaffney, the Minister also argued that creating a scheme would be unfair to other fishermen, as it would give the Gaffney family access to support others could not receive.
Past Schemes Raised & Ownership Questioned
Gaffney said Minister Dooley referred to the Lost at Sea scheme, which assisted a small number of families, and suggested it had significant political consequences for the minister involved.
The Minister also cited the absence of decommissioning and temporary cessation schemes at the time the family sought support, despite such schemes having since been introduced.
Another obstacle raised was vessel ownership, with Gaffney saying Minister Dooley argued that the family’s lack of full ownership of the vessel limited what could be done.
Promises Made but Family Confidence Low
Despite refusing compensation, Gaffney said Minister Dooley committed to raising the issue with European Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis at a scheduled meeting within two weeks.
He also said the Minister agreed to write to his German counterpart, contact the German Ambassador to Ireland, seek an opinion from EU Commissioner Michael McGrath, and speak to Donegal TD Pat “the Cope” Gallagher.
However, Gaffney said the family left the meeting unconvinced.
“When the usual answers come back, we do not believe there will be any real fight to right this injustice,” he said.
