Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

We discussed this on a number of occasions and I indicated previously to the Deputy that this is not the type of amendment I would like to make on the hoof to a Bill such as this. I gave a commitment to the Deputy and I will reiterate it here that we need to do further policy analysis on this and decide, if we go down this particular route, how we might make the type of decisions he is discussing on income and turnover without placing the courts in a position where they are trying to figure it out. I indicated to the Deputy that between now and when the consolidation of merchant shipping legislation is undertaken I will have considered it to see if it is a route we can take.

I take the Deputy's point on the pollution occurring in the Gulf of Mexico, which is not ship borne but due to drilling operations. In similar circumstances here the EPA would have power to levy huge fines and rightly so. I call on the Deputy to withdraw the amendment on the basis that I will consider it for inclusion in the consolidation of the merchant shipping legislation.

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