Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

On the issue of child protection and the proposal for a referendum on the rights of children, I was the Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Constitution when it was asked by the then Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, to examine the issue of children's welfare. The committee unanimously agreed that the current constitutional protections of the rights of the child within the family was inadequate and proposed that a referendum should be held to protect and enhance the rights of the child as opposed to the family. I am somewhat disappointed this has been delayed given that we were told in some of our discussions that the Kilkenny incest case was a unique event that would never be repeated. I support the calls made in this regard. However, it is a very delicate issue. The majority of submissions felt the child was adequately protected among family. If the wording of such a referendum is not completely right, it could have an adverse effect and we might see a result that was never envisaged. In principle, I support the idea of a constitutional referendum, although the right wording will be difficult to achieve. We found it extremely difficult to agree on the wording; we failed to do so. It must be correct or else, like the abortion referendum, there may be a result that was never intended.

I ask the Leader to have a debate on aquaculture, mariculture and seafood. We have a fantastic coastline but the industry has been neglected and we are over-regulated. There is an ongoing debate on AZA toxins which affect mussels, oysters and other seafood. It is a shame that the economy is contracting and the construction industry is in disarray, yet we have the potential to create jobs along our coastline in fish farming. The biggest abalone factory in the northern hemisphere is on the Beara peninsula. There is much potential for the mussel industry.

On the one hand, Bord Iascaigh Mhara is promoting these products but on the other, there is over-regulation. I see much potential for job creation. The plan for the mussel industry in the mid-1990s proposed an increase in output to 30,000 tonnes but we have stagnated at 10,000 tonnes. As an example, the Chileans started with zero tonnage in 1990 and their fish farming, especially with salmon, employs 40,000 people in the remote southern part of Chile. Their mussel industry has increased to approximately 400,000 tonnes. The French, Spanish and our UK partners are laughing at us because they have progressed and we have not. There are jobs to be created along the coastline.

I had a meeting with the Irish Shellfish Association, and its representatives are deeply concerned that a lack of licensing, over-regulation and all these special areas of conservation——