Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Everybody will be aware of the recent tragedy off the coast of Tramore where the three Bolger brothers lost their lives while fishing. This follows the sinking of the Tit Bonhomme in Glandore Harbour early last year and the loss of the Pere Charles and two other boats in the same area with no bodies recovered. This issue was raised by the Irish Fishermen's Organisation at a recent meeting and by Kathleen Hayes whose husband, Michael Hayes, was lost in Glandore along with four others. It was suggested at the meeting that a beacon should be worn on the wrist or on a belt around the waist, which would send a signal to a satellite similar to the beacon that sends a signal when a boat sinks. This would be of great benefit in locating and recovering the bodies of those lost at sea. I understand the Minister is considering something along these lines. It should be implemented as quickly as possible.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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On 12 June, the bodies of brothers, Shane, Kenny and Paul Bolger, were recovered from the water near Tramore. These experienced fishermen were well known throughout the area and they were well liked. They lost their lives in the same way too many people have lost their lives in the past few years. Working at sea is not the safest job and it never will be. There will always be harsh weather conditions, which are unexpected, accidents, human error and tragedies but as with our roads, conditions can be made safer and the likelihood of loss of life can be lessened.

I am grateful to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine who replied to my question on this issue last week. His heartfelt response echoes what everyone in the House felt as the tragedy unfolded. My colleague, Senator David Cullinane, spoke to me about the palpable shock and grief in the Waterford area. We all want to do something to avoid these tragedies in future and I raise this issue to help make progress. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board, MCIB, annual report 2011 found that 40% of all deaths in a given year were among fishing crews. These workers deserve, like everyone else, the best standards to ensure they return home safely. The report clearly stated more must be done to reduce the number of these tragedies. One such measure would be the mandatory use of personal locator beacons. The board recommended this course of action.

Fishing is not the lucrative business it could be. Many working in the industry struggle hard to make a decent living. We should as much as possible avoid heaping the financial burden on these workers. Fishermen have in the past called for 100% grant aid for personal location beacons. This should be considered due to the obvious benefits of the beacons becoming commonplace. Fishing is an important industry, which we have supported in many ways. We should support fisheries workers to be safe. Measures such as this will not prevent a tragedy such as that which befell the Bolgers happening again but it will help to reduce the incidence of such tragedies, ease the suffering of those whose loved ones are lost at sea and aid quicker recovery.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The safety of all fishing vessels, with the safety of merchant ships, passenger vessels and leisure craft, is the responsibility of my Department, chiefly through the work of the Marine Survey Office which oversees the survey and certification of vessels in accordance with the relevant international and domestic legislation. All fishing vessels, regardless of size, are required to carry a satellite emergency position-indicating radio beacon, EPIRB, appropriate to their size and the sea area in which they operate.

Fishing vessels over 24 m are surveyed in accordance with the provisions of the International Maritime Organisation's Torremolinos protocol, which was given effect in the European Union by Council Directive 97/70, as amended. Fishing vessels between 15 and 24 metres are surveyed in accordance with the provisions of regulations introduced by my predecessor in 2007. These regulations, the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Fishing Vessels) (15-24 Metres) Regulations 2007 - SI 640 of 2007 - enhance the safety of fishing vessels and their crew in the 15 to 24 metre category. With regard to fishing vessels of less than 15 metres, my Department published a code of practice for the design, construction, operation and equipment of small fishing vessels in 2004. The code sets minimum standards of safety for these smaller vessels to protect all persons on board. The code is in accordance with best international practice and covers vessel design, construction, machinery, safety equipment and stability issues.

Prior to the introduction of the code, the Department undertook an extensive consultation process with fishing industry representatives and Bord lascaigh Mhara, BIM. For any fishing vessel, the issue of a fishing licence by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is contingent on full compliance with the relevant regulatory requirements, be that regulation or code. Chapter 9 of the code for small fishing vessels outlines the requirements of the Fishing Vessel (Radio Installation) Regulations 1998, which require, at a minimum, the appropriate VHF radio installations and a satellite EPIRB. Larger fishing vessels, or those operating in more open waters, are required to carry additional items of radio equipment to ensure adequate means of emergency communication and to aid location of the vessel by emergency services, if required.

The MCIB has recommended that all fishing vessels carry automatically activated float free EPIRBs and the issue of personal locator beacons, PLBs, for crew members has been recommended for examination. PLBs are portable radio transmitters carried by each crew member which, when used correctly, aid the search and rescue emergency services in the detection and location of persons in distress. These devices transmit on a radio frequency and must be programmed with the specific Irish country code and registered with ComReg to ensure their effectiveness in an emergency. My Department has been working with both the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and BIM on the legislative and financial supports for a series of maritime safety measures focused on the fishing community, including the mandatory use of automatically activated float free EPIRBs and PLBs. This has involved significant complex work, which is nearing completion.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I reiterate the importance of the use of personal beacons by all fishing crew. Where a vessel flounders, an on-board device is activated immediately which gives its location and thus assists in the rescue effort. However, if a boat sinks and somebody is lost, the chances of recovering his or her remains are not good. In the south east, for example, the bodies of 11 people who went missing at sea in recent years have never been located. The use of personal locater beacons should be mandatory and grant-aided. The necessity of such cannot be stressed enough.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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Coastal communities have suffered more than most in recent years. We should follow the example of Iceland where, owing to the high safety standards employed, there are almost no fatalities at sea. In 2011, in this country there were 13 accidents involving vessels at sea. Six of these involved fishing vessels, three of which sank, resulting in five fatalities. Some 108 people died at sea between 2002 and 2011. Improved safety equipment, including personal location devices, would go a long way towards improving safety for citizens who make their living from the sea and for people participating in the maritime leisure industry. We need the equivalent of Gay Byrne, in his role in the Road Safety Authority, to act as champion for the fishing community. Perhaps the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, might assume that role.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I share the Deputies' concerns about the shocking loss of life at sea in recent years. They mentioned the Tit Bonhomme, the Pere Charles and the recent tragic events off the coast of Waterford. The current position is not acceptable. I have reviewed all the reports of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board and they make for harrowing reading. Deputy Dessie Ellis mentioned Iceland which has a larger fishing fleet than Ireland but has lost very few people, if any, in recent years.

I agree that the use of personal locator beacons would be useful, but the reality is that people usually die within minutes of entering the sea. As such, the usefulness of the beacons will be only in so far as they help us to locate people's remains. Our objective must be to prevent accidents in the first place, which has been the approach taken to road safety. The difficulty is that many in our maritime communities and others who use the sea do not have a culture of safety first and, moreover, compliance with the rules is not adequately enforced. In addition, there is a problem with a lack of respect for workers' rights. We have seen instances of workers, both from overseas and the State, not being trained, mustered or rested properly, batteries not being charged and other things that should not be happening. The bottom line is that we can pass any law we like, but if it is not enforced and we do not have a culture of zero tolerance in regard to non-compliance, we will continue to lose dozens of people at sea in the coming years.