Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

I am conscious we will be all shortly caught in the net of time. I am most anxious to speak on the issue of detention periods. However, I have a few observations on this matter.

The Minister said on Second Stage that he was doing a favour for his colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Dempsey, by piggybacking this issue into the Bill. I do not believe he has done him or his Department any favours.

This Bill was presented as an urgent package to deal with crime as a result of the development of drug gangs in particular and the series of gangland murders that occurred at the end of last year. That tight focus must be maintained if we are to justify this Bill being frogmarched through the Oireachtas at a rate of knots without an appropriate allocation of time to allow for the checking of all provisions. There is no need for this provision to be piggybacked into this legislation.

This is a most inappropriate vehicle to deal with changes in maritime law. It is insulting to the fishing industry which is already on its knees. Communities like Kilmore in my constituency are reeling from the pressures of a declining income from fisheries. There are real issues of concern with not alone boats but houses being repossessed. The fishing industry needs a sympathetic ear and should not be included in a package of measures designed to deal with gangland murderers.

This provision should be withdrawn from the legislation in the interest of the Minister's stated objective that it is a tight and comprehensive package focused on gangland criminality and in the interest of the development of some level of decent relationship between the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and seafaring communities which many of us represent.

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