Pat O'Neill (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know Mr. Griffin and members have the best interests of everyone in their hearts on this matter, but a headline such as this will not do. The big stick approach of a €5,000 fine for carrying a child on a tractor will not work. This is about awareness. I know that children can be excited about tractors and rush out to see Daddy and that accidents do happen. However, parents have responsibility as well. The mother is in the home and the father is in the yard. The father is on the tractor. He has to be aware that the wife is coming home at whatever time. We cannot come along and suddenly draw a line and say a person will be fined €5,000 if he or she has a child who is under seven years of age on a tractor. This will not work. Who is going to enforce it? Will gardaí enforce it? Will the Health and Safety Authority inspector arrive in a person's yard and enforce it? There are not enough people to enforce it. This is about education, getting people to co-operate and making people aware of the dangers. The other aspect of this concerns grants. A farmyard should be fenced off properly in order that a child cannot gain access to it without parental supervision. This is a better approach than fining someone €5,000 for having a child under seven years of age on a tractor. This will not happen.