Mr. Patrick Harkin:

At the moment, the answer is "No", but that is not good practice internationally because boats could be connecting up to a high-voltage system with substandard electrical components. Indeed, there have been a lot of fires on boats and, unfortunately, there was a fatality on a boat on the Shannon in 2023. We propose that in these by-laws there would be a requirement for a certified electrical system, certainly on liveaboards in particular, given those boats are used every day and it is good practice to have certified equipment onboard a boat. Indeed, we are providing in these by-laws that fire extinguishers need to be on board, along with smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. I do not think anyone is arguing against the safety measures we are bringing in with these by-laws.