Results 2,521-2,540 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: Despite what the Deputies say about their commitment to ensuring there is no illegal activity in the fishing industry, I doubt their sincerity. This Bill is absolutely necessary. It has been made necessary by legal proceedings, the last of which concluded over 12 months ago. I have been very patient, as has the Department, in bringing forward the Bill, in listening to the concerns expressed...

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The Bill is urgently needed to address the shortcomings in the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1959 highlighted by the Supreme Court judgments in the Brown and Kennedy cases. It is also intended to bring the legal framework for fisheries into the 21st century, particularly following the review of the Common Fisheries Policy 2002. In response to concerns raised by many Deputies including members of...

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I listened to the argument for that change although I have reservations about it because the lives of our Defence Forces and navy personnel are as important as those of anyone else on the high seas.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I removed the power to forfeit a boat on which repeat offences occur, which had been in our legislation for some time. I listened carefully to the arguments put forward by all sides in the House to make some distinction in the level of fines levied and introduced graduated fines, based on the size of the vessels. There was a concern with the original Bill that the regulatory agency was not...

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: If when this Bill is passed, the fisheries organisations wish to discuss administrative fines for small technical breaches of legislation, this can be on the agenda. I indicated this quite clearly on Committee Stage——

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The Deputy was only present on Committee Stage to make half-hour long speeches and then disappear. He should not tell me I did not say it; I was there.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The Deputy was present on Committee Stage for approximately one and a half hours in total out of the 30 hours of discussion.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I will do exactly what the Opposition Deputies did; I will address these amendments the same way they did and range over all the different issues. I will try to address all the issues raised and I ask the Deputies to exercise a little patience. I will be delighted to respond to Deputy Broughan's and other amendments.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I assure fishermen that I am committed to delivering a legal framework for fisheries to ensure their livelihoods and the future protection of fishermen who act responsibly and who work hard to earn an honest living. The Bill will address illegal fishing and will challenge those who have profited in the past and continue to make high earnings from systematic, illegal fishing. Despite the...

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: That is my reason for wishing to get this Bill through the House.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The Bill is intended to protect the legal fishermen from the others, whether they be Irish or European or non-EU vessels involved in illegal activity around our coasts. I will continue to try to ensure that this Bill achieves this and that the law is in place for the future. Deputies Broughan and Jim O'Keeffe referred to my surrendering an Irish quota of just over 6,000 tonnes of fish to the...

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: Yes. When the Commission has established that a member state exceeded the fishing opportunities which had been allocated to it, the Commission shall operate deductions from future fishing opportunities of the member state. This must go to the Commission for ratification but it has been made quite clear that this will be its decision. A further 35,000 tonnes were illegally landed by Irish...

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I have not weakened anything.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: A total of 6,500 tonnes was illegally fished by some fishermen from Ireland and it will be deducted from the national quota.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: Our quota is affected and our fishermen will have that much less quota, no matter what.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The Deputies can continue to tilt at windmills all they wish. I remind the Deputy that the law is the law.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I heard the Deputy's version of the law on Committee Stage.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: The Commission is quite clear that we exceeded our quota last year by reason of these illegal landings and this will be deducted. The Deputy can spew out all the hot air he wishes but this EU decision will not change.

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: We tried to ensure the 35,000 tonnes of illegal fish from the previous four years would not be deducted on the same basis over a one-year period. We will try to convince the Commission that ——

Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Feb 2006)

Noel Dempsey: I am not back-tracking. I am telling Deputies the facts. We will try to minimise that penalty or have it spread over a period of time. This is not a figment of anyone's imagination but rather one example of what has been happening.