Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Christmas is approaching and I will not get angry today. The Minister of State, the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, its MEPs and all others in that party are telling the fishermen of this country that this is a bad Bill. There is no point in the Minister of State, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats blaming officials because officials do what they are told. The Bill is sponsored by the Minister of State who is responsible for marine affairs. I have listened carefully to fishermen throughout the country in this regard and know they are very unhappy. The Minister of State and Fianna Fáil Members and MEPs are also unhappy. There must be something very wrong when everybody is unhappy. When legislation goes through the House, somebody is usually happy with it but nobody is happy with this Bill. Even the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is against it.

Deputies Walsh and O'Donovan and others who have spoken against the Bill in the House should do the honourable thing and vote against it. There is no point saying one thing in a constituency and doing another in the House. If the legislation is wrong and not good for fishermen, and they know it is not good and are not happy with it, Members should vote against it.

My colleagues have appealed to the Minister to withdraw the Bill, which he should do. He should have further discussions with fishermen, the officials of his Department and officials in Europe and return to the House with another Bill which would meet the needs of the fishing community. The Minister of State has represented that community well over the years. He knows fishing is a difficult business and a difficult life. He and I know of the serious tragedy that occurred in recent weeks to fishermen trying to make a living.

We do not want two laws, one for our fishermen and another for European fishermen. The State has given away fishing rights to other European states. Super-boats are coming to Ireland, plundering all before them, yet nobody does anything about it. However, when a small fisherman in the west, Donegal or elsewhere steps outside the line, he is immediately lifted by the coastguard, taken in, charged by the fisheries boards and has his fish and nets seized. In addition to being fined, fishermen will become criminals as a result of the Bill. A fisherman trying to work, make a living and raise his family is not a criminal. He is competing against the best boats in Europe as well as the rules and regulations which help the Europeans while crucifying our own fishermen. This must be stopped.

Legislation was rushed through the House last year only for it to be found unconstitutional in the courts last January. While the Bill before us may not be unconstitutional, it is not good legislation. I appeal to the Minister of State, who has represented a fishing community for many years, to withdraw the Bill. He should not guillotine it and force his colleagues to vote for it when they know it is wrong, as I and many MEPs know. The sanctions that will be taken against fishermen are not right. Instead of having to pay fines, they will be made criminals and will have a record for the rest of their lives because they fought for their livelihood and their rights and tried to make a living in difficult circumstances. The Minister should withdraw the legislation.

I have seen enough of the elected representatives in this House handing powers to State agencies, in particular the National Roads Authority and the Health Service Executive. When I put questions to Ministers, I am told they have no responsibility to the Dáil. We ask the people to vote every four or five years and to put their faith in the representatives they elect to this House, yet we hand over too many powers to outside agencies which are not accountable to anybody. We see this process at work in the Health Service Executive, local authorities and all State agencies. The Leader programme boards and community groups have more power than this House, which is seen as no more than a rubber stamp to provide jobs for the boys and girls in these agencies.

The introduction of seafood managers is another similar transfer and another negative aspect of the Bill. While it will create more big jobs, when the managers are asked to do something, they will say they have no power to do it, as is the case with the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs. When one writes to that body, one is told it is outside its power to act and that it cannot deal with the issue in question. It will be the same with seafood managers.

Seizing the boats, nets and catches of fishermen does not make sense. When European legislation is introduced, why is it that we go four times better and act more severely than every other European country? France and Italy simply ignore European legislation whereas we tackle the small guy. This is turning into a police state. This bad Bill should be withdrawn immediately.

Deputy Perry outlined the Fine Gael view on the Bill. He stated we will introduce the necessary amendments on Committee Stage to deal with the problem. However, the Bill should not reach Committee Stage and should be withdrawn immediately. We had strong Ministers in the past. If they did not agree with legislation, they did not allow it to get through the Dáil. Strong Ministers were not afraid to vote against legislation when it was not right. I call on Fianna Fáil backbenchers who are speaking out of the sides of their mouths in the constituencies and at committee to do the right thing and vote against the Bill. It is bad legislation and will cause difficulty in the future for the Minister of State, me and every rural Deputy.

Fishing is a difficult business. Fishermen are trying to make a living but they are regulated to the extent that they are sick and tired of it. They are feeling the pinch because past Governments sold the fishing industry to get rights for the agricultural sector, which has also been taken away by European regulation. If Mr. Mandelson gets his way at the World Trade Organisation talks, nobody in this country will be fishing or farming. European visitors who want to use the west to have little sanctuaries for shooting will bring us back to the days of the landlord. We always complained about Britain but we are worse to our own people than any landlord ever was. At least when the landlord was here, we knew he was the landlord. Now, the State and its Ministers are the landlords. We saw a landlord in the House yesterday and know what happened in that regard.

I call on the Minister and Fianna Fáil backbenchers to withdraw this bad Bill which is neither wanted nor needed. Nobody called for it. If the Oireachtas and Irish MEPs do not want it, why is it before the House? The Minister of State should do the right thing. If he tells the Taoiseach he will resign if it is not withdrawn, he would be a hero to the fishing community. They would see him as the person who fought well for them. However, the fishing community sees Members as two-faced, having listened to Fianna Fáil Members say one thing and then another. The former Minister, Deputy Walsh, is a nice man and one I have always had time for. Listening to him last week, I thought he was a member of Fine Gael. He does not have to be a member of the party because all we ask him to do is vote with us today.

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