Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate Deputy Wilkinson's courtesy in agreeing to share his time with me. I welcome the opportunity to comment on this legislation and compliment and congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, for his work in this area.

I will not rise to the lecture we got this morning about the motives of those of us who wish to speak on this legislation who do not live by the sea or who cannot see the sea from our front windows. It is very important that we take our role in the Parliament seriously and that all of us uphold that principle. I could easily be very insular and stay in Tallaght without worrying about anything else going on around me, but that is not the kind of parliamentarian I want to be. It is important that we all examine legislation and if we were to apply the same rules that have been suggested for Fianna Fáil backbenchers to the Opposition, there would not be a word out of them any day of the week. The earlier comments were a little unfair.

I do not want to be flippant, but I can stand on the hill in my parish of Belgard and see Dublin Bay just as clearly as can Deputy Finian McGrath. My paternal grandfather died on the seas, so I have an interest in the area. Deputy Finian McGrath, in a very fair contribution, made the point that we are all consumers. He and other colleagues referred to eating fish and I come from a generation where fish on a Friday was very much a ritual. Some Members will know that I had a health scare six years ago, where I had serious heart surgery. I have taken my diet seriously since then, although perhaps I should have been taking it seriously all along, and my dietician tells me that if I am telling her the truth, she is happy. I agree with the serious point made by Deputy Finian McGrath because I have found that including fish in my diet has helped my health enormously. I try to have fish at least three times a week, if not more. I encourage others to include fish in their diet. My colleague from Dublin Bay, Deputy Finian McGrath has already made the point, which is an important and fair one in the context of this discussion, that we should promote Irish fish and I hope all Members will do so. My diet is relatively small but the point is a serious one.

I wish to be associated with the complimentary remarks concerning our colleagues, Deputy O'Flynn, the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and Deputies O'Donovan and Martin Brady. Their statements to the Dáil and the brave and courageous manner in which they have taken on this debate indicates that they have a particular interest in the issue. Some Members will know that I am a near neighbour of Deputy O'Donovan on the Fianna Fáil corridor and have had many opportunities to talk to him and understand where he is coming from, given that we represent completely different kinds of constituencies. I made the point in a debate yesterday that it is good for Deputies, particularly new Deputies like me, to have the opportunity to share experiences and information with colleagues and there are a number of issues on which I have been able to take advantage of Deputy O'Donovan's skill and understanding. I hope when he has to tackle serious urban problems he will pick my brain and I will be happy to facilitate that. I have listened very carefully to what Deputy O'Donovan and other colleagues have been saying. It is good that we can take the opportunity to show solidarity and to understand where they are coming from and to try to help to promote the views they are expressing.

I suspect I do not have much time to deal with the concerns expressed about the legislation and I do not know if I will have an opportunity to do so in the future.

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