Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I am delighted the Minister mentioned the coast guard. The Department could be a little more supportive of members of the coast guard on whom our lives very often depend, which the Minister of State quite rightly said, and to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude. These people should get some type of call-out fee, some element of support or some financial help. They put their lives at risk, particularly the coast guard which is not part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. They are very much dependent on the Department. I know this area is being restructured, which is important. Will the Minister of State ensure the types of supports and structures in place for them are adequate?

It is not necessary for surveys to be carried out by personnel from the Department. If I buy a boat and get it insured, it is my responsibility to get a marine surveyor to survey the boat. There are a couple of marine surveyors in Senator O'Rourke's and Senator O'Meara's constituencies and a number elsewhere in the country. Most boats which have been bought have been surveyed along the way. It should be enough for the Department to recognise the person carrying out the survey. One of the major problems has been having to depend unfairly on the Department to get surveys done. That pressure should not be on the Department and people should use qualified surveyors. There are a number of recognised qualifications for marine surveyors who are very diligent about their work because their reputations depend on it. They will not state a boat is safe if it is not because it will come back to haunt them.

My father used to say legislation which cannot be enforced should not be passed. I am probably turning my back on that good advice. However, legislation should be passed to provide that people on boats should use only eco-friendly detergents. It is a small thing as they are not much more expensive. Most supermarkets along the Shannon and other waterways sell such products, particularly along the inland waterways. Sink waste is more damaging to the environment than sewage and biological detergents cause more damage than anything else. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government should introduce legislation, a directive or a ministerial order stating that only eco-friendly detergents should be used on boats.

I thank the Minister of State for tabling this important amendment. He has reassured us on a number of issues, including that of marinas. The European Union is completely wrong about marinas. A marina cannot be moved. It is not a tradeable commodity between the west of Ireland and the west of France. It is only for the use of people who visit it. People will not travel from the west of France to the west of Ireland simply because there is a marina there which is being supported by the State. A marina is like a road; it is an infrastructure for boats.