Members of the joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources are travelling to Brussels today to discuss standardised fines for fishing offences with representatives of the European parliament fisheries committee and officials from the Director General for Fisheries office.
The issue of standardised fines for fishing offences is being discussed ahead of a debate in the Dáil next week on the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005.
Speaking ahead of today's talks, Committee chairman, Deputy Noel Flynn TD said: "We are not at all satisfied that the Bill moves towards more uniform fines for fishing offences throughout the EU.
"In Ireland, we regard as excessive fines for these offences at sea. They do not match similar sanction levels in other EU countries."
"In its current form, the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2005 proposes excessive fines for fishing offences here compared to our EU counterparts. We would like to see uniformity across the EU - although it is up to the government of each member-state to set its own fines," he said.
Deputy O'Flynn said the committee had asked the Minister for the Marine, Noel Dempsey TD, to make significant amendments to the Bill.
