Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My point is that it is not in the interests of authorised officers to go around issuing fixed notice penalties to people who are doing nothing wrong. That does not make sense. They are well trained people and they take their responsibilities very seriously. Wildlife officers do not have to carry around their rules and regulations nor do Inland Fisheries officers. I do not see why those policing the canals should have to go around with a set of rules and regulations. Having said that, there is nothing to stop Waterways Ireland from taking on board the views of Senators. It might be good practice for authorised officers to have a copy of the by-laws on their iPhones.

Of course the person breaking the law will be told which by-law he or she is contravening and can be referred to a website which he or she can access on a mobile phone. If anyone has a query, he or she can request information from Waterways Ireland which will be provided. A fixed notice will state exactly what by-law has been breached. It would be onerous and unfair to pick out the officers of Waterways Ireland where a similar obligation does not apply to other officers right across the board.