Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

When a person presents themselves, an officer does not know whether he or she is a non-national or a national. An officer cannot distinguish that until the person produces his or her papers. If the people on board a ship refuse to disembark, the immigration officer does not have the authority to go on board. From my knowledge of the shipping business, the captain of the ship is in charge of the vehicle while it is in port. There must be a responsibility on the carrier to ensure that people comply. The thrust of the Bill is to place responsibility on carriers, commercial or otherwise. It seems logical to extend that to give them the opportunity to co-operate with immigration officers to ensure that the Bill is effective. I do not understand the logic behind the amendment.