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

When I heard Deputy Mac Lochlainn reading out what the Minister said when he was over here in opposition, I could not understand how the Minister is over there in government at all, contesting one little line that we want to change. The purpose of us asking to use the words "beyond a reasonable doubt" is to provide fairness and equality for fishermen and women under the law and the Constitution, otherwise the Government will create a new and dangerous precedent of treating fishers as second-class citizens under the law.

This would give power to a fisheries officer or office to make a judgment on the balance of probability, in other words, a 50 million to one probability that a potential infringement action had occurred. This is of key concern for fishermen and women. If this amendment is accepted then the legislation would be, at the very least, a little bit fairer.

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