Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

The new section 28 ensures, in subsection (1), that while it would not be an offence for a person to fail to comply with a safety code, the court may, when trying an alleged offender for any of a variety of serious offences involving vessels, be guided by any current safety codes applicable as to the appropriate course of action to be followed in the particular circumstance. Subsection (2) is a standard provision to secure the admissibility of current safety codes in court proceedings referred to in subsection (1).