Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

This case particularly raises the issue of European responsibility because if a ship or, in this case, a fishing vessel was licensed in one jurisdiction, it is more than likely that when it came to be relicensed in Ireland, it was a rubber-stamp operation. There would have been no serious effort to establish the stability of the particular ship or boat.

This particular family appeared before the committee and they haunt me. It is not the fact that they have been so badly treated, although that in itself is bad; it is the fact that this vessel went through tests. It was in service and was purchased as a working vessel. It was licensed by the Irish authorities. In some way or other, once all that was done, the authorities washed their hands of it and wanted nothing to do with it; it was tough luck. The man's livelihood has been taken from him. His boat has been taken from him. Everything he based his future on is gone. Everything that family based their future on is gone. I still think we have a responsibility, first and foremost as a nation, to compensate him. People will argue that is not the way it should be done, but Europe is too big for a family to fight. It is up to the State then to go after Europe to get the compensation and particularly after the Dutch authorities. We should tell the Dutch authorities that they originally licensed this craft.