Seanad report: A provision in the Maritime Safety Bill to deal with persons intoxicated or under the influence of drugs while in charge of vessels was described as a major step forward by Minister of State for the Marine Pat the Cope Gallagher. "Before this, one could be in control of a vessel and be under the influence of alcohol and there was very little that could have been done about it."
Fines of up €5,000 and prison terms not exceeding three months are provided for breaches of this part of the Bill, which was very substantially amended by the Minister in response to concerns voiced by Government and Opposition speakers during the second stage debate.
Persons convicted of recklessly endangering the safety, security or seaworthiness of a vessel, or the lives of those on board, could face fines of up to €100,000 or prison terms ranging up to three years.
The Minister assured Brendan Kenneally (FF) that authorised officers could arrest a person in command of a vessel on suspicion that he or she had consumed alcohol.
Frank Feighan (FG) said that, unfortunately, by the time the regulations were in force a major tragedy was likely to have occurred.
Kathleen O'Meara (Lab) asked how the planned new regulations could be enforced. It was common, particularly at night-time, for boat users to visit hostelries. How is it possible, without having authorised officers at every stop, to ensure that the situation did not get out of control?
Mr Gallagher said there was an obligation on a person in charge of a boat to keep good order. The carrying out of spot checks by officers would be vitally important.
The Bill, which passed committee stage, also provides for the making of regulations dealing with safety equipment which vessels must carry and measures to ensure that pleasure craft, including jetskis, do not cause a disturbance or create a nuisance.
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Speaking on a Fine Gael motion condemning the failure of the Government to take a decision on the development of a second terminal at Dublin airport, the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, said the charging regime at Dublin airport was one of the lowest of European airports.
The authority was well advanced in drawing up a new airport charges cap for Dublin and the regulator had indicated that he would publish the draft determination on May 6th next. Regardless of who owned the infrastructure at the airport there was a need to achieve a commercial return on investment.
Terminal facilities and runways were costly and ultimately the users of the airport must pay for them.