Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 31, lines 43 and 44, to delete "2 months' and substitute "1 month'.

We discussed the length of prison sentences on Committee Stage. We propose to reduce the sentence from two months to one month. Our concern is that there may be instances of fishermen who make mathematical errors or mistakes when filling in log books, thus stepping outside the legal framework. Although we do not condone such actions, we do not want to turn fishermen into criminals.

There have been cases where fishermen have flouted the law but others do not consciously do so. It is not the same as a person who drives at 60 mph in a 30 mph zone and who knows he or she is speeding. For one reason or another, there will be instances where log books are not properly completed. We do not want to criminalise fishermen. A fisherman told me quite recently that the industry is under pressure and we are looking at a scenario where the fishing industry may go in the same direction as the farming industry. Many coastal fishermen, from the west of Ireland and Donegal in particular, have a tradition of emigrating to places such as the United States, and a criminal record will certainly not increase their chances of being let in. This was a specific example I was given. If laws are broken deliberately, the perpetrators must be punished. I am trying to replace the proposed two-month prison sentence with a one-month sentence, and to replace the €5,000 maximum fine with a maximum of €3,000.