Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think you certainly have. You raised a concern that the list of offences and offenders would be publicly available in the same way across Europe, so that knowledge sharing would not be just subject to the information on a particular member state, and that is vitally important for this system to be applied in an even-handed way and to be seen to applied as such. There is often a feeling that we can be good boys and be compliant, while others do something different and get away with it. For example, a vessel that has been put off the water for two periods because it has accumulated 36 points is back in Irish waters and we might not know that, nor might the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority know that, which is very important.

It is a fairly significant statutory instrument. It has a lot of implications for the Irish fleet. That what why we asked the witnesses to attend the committee. I thank you for your full, frank and very knowledgeable insight into the statutory instrument, by way of your opening statements and subsequent answers to questions and queries that have been asked by members of the committee. I should have stated at the start that this is Ms Steele's first time before an Oireachtas committee as chairperson, and I wish you well. The privilege warning at the start is part and parcel of what we have to do in every meeting. Members genuinely appreciate your contribution and assistance.

We will be keeping a watching brief on this. We would like to get publication of the procedures when they are finalised, as well as the methodology of the appeals process. I know the name is already available. When the heads of the Bill are being published, we may write to you or ask you to attend to engage with us on it. Commitments were made that minor offences would be decriminalised and the penalty points system seems to be a reasonable way to address that. Thank you once again.