Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I am very pleased with the Minister of State's remarks. I completely support the amendment, which is very positive and necessary. I compliment the Minister of State and his officials on bringing it forward.

I wish to clarify a few matters. The small vessel register is a necessary measure. I have changed the name of every boat I have bought even though it is considered to be bad luck in the parts of the world in which the Minister of State and I were born. Boats cannot be traced because of this. There are many boats named Lady Ann, Mary Ann or Ann, as Ann is the most common name for a boat. There must be several thousand of them in Ireland.

I agree this should be introduced on a voluntary basis. It is a good way of beginning and discovering where difficulties lie. A responsible boat owner will go out of his or her way to register because people who have an interest in boating and waterways will wish to do so. I have no difficulty with this.

The Minister of State's comments on secondary legislation worry me. He should give himself power now by introducing a Schedule to the Bill to allow him to establish a system for small vessel registration by ministerial order rather than any other requirement. I was under the impression the Minister of State could do this under the legislation and I see his official nodding. This is the way it should be so the Minister of State can now examine what comes before him.

It is this simple. In terms of registration, every boat has an engine of some description. There is a number on every inboard engine, which can be used to register the vessel in the same way as a car. There will also be a hull number on the majority of boats. These are two ideas that can be followed through on to make the original identification. Whether people change the name afterwards is irrelevant, as the number sticks with the boat.

Waterways Ireland has made a significant improvement. It has removed all the "harbour horrors" on the inland waterways, as Senator O'Rourke and others may have seen.