Noel O'Flynn (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

We are dealing with this issue since June last year, the Bill was published in October and much has happened since then. An imperfect Bill was published and it has been improved by the contributions of all Members, all the representatives of the industry and the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, and the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, who dealt with it. To give credit where it is due, we buried Queen Victoria, so to speak, by removing a provision allowing for shooting into a boat. A sea fisheries control agency will be established and the question of compensation in respect of boats has been dealt with. I commend the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, and the Minister of State, Deputy Gallagher, on that.

We have not yet succeeded on the question of the provision of administrative sanctions. At this late hour I propose, similar to my colleague, Deputy O'Donovan, and other colleagues, that the Minister indicate that at some stage in the near future he will talk to those involved in the industry to examine if he can come up with a range of sanctions that could be dealt with administratively for minor, technical offences.

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