Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman and members for their very prompt response to our request for pre-legislative scrutiny of the sea-fisheries (amendment) Bill. I brought the heads of the Bill to Cabinet last week and sought approval for the scrutiny process and to proceed to general drafting. I look forward to the engagement with the committee and to members' feedback and comprehensive teasing out of the various aspects of the Bill, both in pre-legislative scrutiny and as it moves through the various Stages in the Dáil and Seanad.

These proposals follow on from the penalty points system that was introduced for licence holders, which was established by statutory instrument last August. Since 2012, there has been on obligation on us, as an EU member state and in accordance with the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, to introduce a penalty points control system for both licence holders and masters. We are the only remaining member state that has not yet introduced both penalty points systems. While we were able to introduce the licence holder penalty points arrangements by way of statutory instrument, as there was a legislative basis at European level to do so, we require primary legislation to put in place a system to deal with masters. It is on this basis that I have brought forward these heads of Bill. I look forward to the committee's full engagement with, and communication on, the provisions as we go forward.