Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I realise that a literal interpretation of the subsection could give the impression that the Minister may ignore the system of improved accessibility and safety being introduced elsewhere in the legislation. This is not the intent of the subsection, which is necessary because it may be desirable in the case of certain vessels to provide an exemption from reduced mobility regulations. While it is intended that practically all vessels will comply with the higher safety standards, it may be necessary to exempt particular vessels from some or all of the provisions. The subsection is useful for existing vessels with limited capacity for major physical alterations. The vessels in question are most likely to be vintage or heritage type vessels on which alterations would not be feasible for reasons of space or heritage. The provision is intended to be applied in a narrow set of circumstances to ensure we retain some of our vintage and heritage vessels.

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