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

That would be a good exercise and a short Bill to that effect could be introduced later. What is required is too technical to work out today, even though I have read the amendments. I would have liked such a provision to have been included in the Bill and for consideration of that to be completed today. Members of the committee that dealt with the Bill spent a great deal of time on it. I am chairman of a committee and while there is no trawler in my constituency, I feel I know more about fishing than many of my colleagues. My colleagues, Deputies O'Donovan, Perry and Broughan, have taught me a great deal about the fishing industry. We have a golden opportunity and I hope when the Minister rises to speak he will accept the views of the House and of his parliamentary party. All across Europe administrative sanctions are the order of the day. I accept fully that it is a matter for each member state to introduce sanctions if they wish, criminal, summary or administrative. We have introduced a range of summary offences that can be dealt with in the District Court which is an important step forward. That is a major change to the Bill as proposed.

Some sections of the Dublin print media did not, and do not, have the story right.

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