John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

Molaim don Teach na leasaithe a rinne Dáil Éireann don Bille. I commend for the approval of the House the 37 amendments made to the Bill by the Dáil. The primary purposes of the legislation are to enable Ireland to give effect to an important United Nations agreement, protect vulnerable and valuable fish stocks and substantially reform sea fishing boat licensing with the establishment of an independent appeals mechanism. As well as clarifying and strengthening the appeals provisions of the legislation, as passed by the House in December 2002, the Dáil amendments also provide for the full transfer of sea fishing boat licensing functions from the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to allow him to concentrate on policy issues and the long overdue filling of a gap in the Fisheries and Foreshore Acts to allow licence applications and other fees to be charged to help meet heavy and growing licensing administration costs. Such costs now exceed €500,000 a year in each case and are growing. The particular fees to be charged and the timing thereof have yet to be decided.