Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, add my voice to the call that the wording used should be "beyond reasonable doubt" rather than "on the balance of probability". This is a new departure from fair play. Any criminal brought before any court enjoys the presumption of innocence until found guilty. What is suggested in the wording is wrong. It may seem small to argue about the wording but it is important to people whose heads are down at this time.

This legislation does not solely affect fishers and all the grand people who came up the River Liffey to he convention centre last year. They gave a clear and precise presentation and no one repeated what anyone else said. It was a wonderful presentation and a joy to listen to. These are grand people who are trying to make a living. Look at what that exercise cost. These people would not do that only their backs are to the wall. They tell us they are only allowed to fish 16% of Irish waters. All the Government seems to do is offer them some compensation to get out of fishing. God almighty, there are traditions in those places where people were brought up to fish. If we went back to the 1600s, it was the English who taught us in the first place how to fish and now our own Government is telling fishers not to fish. We now have penalty points and the weighing of fish on the pier.

It would be fair if foreign fishermen had to weigh on the pier too but why is it just the poor Irish fishermen? When we are hurting the fishermen we are also hurting their communities because it is all trí na chéile. If they make a pound, they spend it in the butcher's shop, the grocery shop, the clothes shop and so on. Rather than penalising them and victimising them, we should be joining together here to see how we can help them. That is what we should be doing rather than discussing the question of the balance of probability.

For God's sake, the Minister must look again at what he is doing and accept our amendment. He should at least agree to insert the words "beyond a reasonable doubt". I appeal to the Minister to see sense. We all saw what the former Leas-Cheann Comhairle did. He got out of his seat, went up to the back and annulled the statutory instrument but here we have it being introduced again, obliterating what the former Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher did. Fianna Fáil Deputies all voted for that, as did we. We all supported Pat the Cope Gallagher. He is from Donegal and knows the trouble that the fishermen are in. Likewise, we are close to the fishing people in Cahersiveen, Dingle, all along Kenmare Bay and in Castletownbere and we know they are hurting. They are looking at us in here tonight, asking the Minister and his Government to just change four words. I appeal to the Minister to do that.

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