Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill has provoked contentious debate over the past three or four weeks. Deputies Perry and Broughan made strong arguments for fines being levied on an administrative basis. At yesterday's Fianna Fáil Party meeting, 15 rebel Deputies met the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources who proposed legislation within months to deal with administrative fines. A letter was circulated by the Taoiseach explaining technical details of how one decides what an administrative fine might be or otherwise.

This legislation does not appear on the A, B or C list of the Government legislation programme. Is it a Government decision that legislation will be published to deal with the administrative fines issue, as proposed by Deputy Perry, Deputy Broughan and others? When will we see this Bill or is this a face-saving exercise for behind the closed doors of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party rooms? The third socialist, Deputy Brady, who is in line for this job, is interested in this question.

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