Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the select committee for facilitating a rather quick Committee Stage. I am very pleased to present the Inland Fisheries (Amendment) Bill for the consideration of the select committee.

As Members will be aware from the debate on Second Stage, the main purpose of this Bill is to confer an explicit power on Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, to bring and prosecute summary proceedings for inland fisheries offences. It achieves this by amending the Inland Fisheries Act 2010 by the insertion of a specific provision that provides for the IFI to have the power to bring and prosecute summary proceedings for offences under the Acts specified.

It will ensure that Inland Fisheries Ireland can fully enforce the inland fisheries Acts. The Bill also makes some additional corrections to the Inland Fisheries Act 2010 to ensure that minor omissions in that Act are fully resolved.

Before we discuss the individual sections, I wish to share the background to the Bill. Inland Fisheries Ireland is the State agency responsible for the protection, conservation, development and promotion of Ireland's inland fisheries and sea angling resources. Inland Fisheries Ireland was formed on 1 July 2010, following the amalgamation of the Central Fisheries Board and the seven regional fisheries boards into a single agency. The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment received advice from the Office of the Attorney General in February 2017 to the effect that Inland Fisheries Ireland does not have the power to bring prosecutions under the inland fisheries Acts. It was advised that an explicit power to prosecute should be inserted in the 2010 Act as a matter of priority. The impact of this advice is that until the Inland Fisheries Act 2010 is amended, prosecutions brought by Inland Fisheries Ireland for which proceedings have been initiated cannot be proceeded with. There are approximately 150 cases that fall into this category.

In light of the advice received, the amendments to the Inland Fisheries Act 2010 are being pursued as a matter of priority. There are no amendments to the Bill. The Bills Office advised that the single amendment tabled has been ruled out of order as, in the context of Standing Order 1793, it would involve a potential charge on the Revenue.

I look forward to a constructive debate and to the assistance of members in facilitating the Bill's early passage into law to safeguard our valuable fisheries resources.