Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I intend to meet all interests in this sector as soon as possible. The first meeting, which will be attended by me and the Minister, Deputy Smith, takes place on Thursday. The Deputy and others in the House will accept that penalties must be a deterrent and must be dissuasive. To this end, they must involve depriving the wrongdoer, at a minimum, of the benefits of his or her action. Deputy O'Keeffe, more than most, will be aware of the provisions and implications of Articles 34, 37 and 38 of the Constitution in this regard. As I said, all options are being considered. It is not necessarily the case, in this instance, that administrative fines would be better for people who are guilty of minor offences.

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