John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the reforms of the fishing laws he will undertake in view of the recent fishing boat tragedies; if the requirement that vessels must give four hours notice of intention to land will be the subject of review; and the additional resources he will allocate to the programme. [5360/07]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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It is a requirement of EU law that 4 hours notice of intention to enter port be given by any Community vessel landing herring, mackerel, horse mackerel and certain other species subject to a recovery plan and this is reflected in the authorisations issued by the Department. A similar requirement under National law applies to certain others stocks where there are particular control demands. We are obliged under EU law to put in place adequate sea-fisheries control measures to prevent over-fishing and other illegal fishing activities and in this context, I believe that 4 hours notice of entering port is not unreasonable.

I would like to re-state what I have said in response to other recent Parliamentary Questions. It is a matter ultimately for the master of each individual vessel to determine the type of fishing operation that is appropriate having regard to the capability of the vessel and the operational and navigational conditions it will have to contend with in order to participate in any given fishery. At the same time, I am satisfied that, regardless of the legal framework governing the landings of fish, whether demersal or pelagic, there are no circumstances where the control authorities would give precedence to their regulatory responsibilities over consideration for the safety of a fishing vessel or its crew.