Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

The Senator has raised an important point which I am delighted to clarify for him. Subsection (5) puts a statutory onus on the owner or master of an Irish ship to report to the chief surveyor - this refers to the Department of Transport - if an accident occurs or a defect is discovered - I presume this is the point to which the Senator was referring - particularly if it affects the safety and efficiency or completeness of its life saving appliances or other equipment required in this case by the chemical tanker rules. If the ship is abroad in a port to which the safety convention applies, the owner or master must also report to the appropriate authorities of the government of that state. The subsection provides for a dual obligation in this respect.