I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 15 together.
A report on the investigation into the collision between the French fishing vessel Agena and the Irish fishing vessel Orchidee, undertaken by the marine survey office of my Department, was published on 19 September 1999. The Deputies will be aware from my replies to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 25 and 60 of 20 October 1999 that publication of this report is an extremely sensitive matter, and understandably so, for the families of the deceased members of the crew of the Orchidee, Mr. James Power and Mr. Robert Doran.
The families have expressed concerns about the report, and these concerns were explored in detail at a lengthy meeting with the Power and Doran families held in my Department on 29 September last. The principal concern of the families is that the report and the media commentary on it are, in their view, open to the interpretation that both vessels were at equal fault in the tragic accident which occurred.
I reiterate, however, that it is not the purpose of the report to attribute fault or blame, as such, to any party but rather to identify what happened and if the accident could have been avoided. It is very important, if further accidents of this type are to be avoided, that the lessons of the tragic loss of the Orchidee are brought home to the owners and crews of all vessels.
As I said earlier, it was not the purpose of the report to apportion blame as between the parties. However, without in any way seeking to qualify the findings in the report, I can only repeat what I stated in my previous replies, which is that it would be entirely wrong to draw any inference that both parties were equally at fault. On the contrary, it is my strong opinion, having considered all the circumstances of the case, that the Irish vessel, which was almost stationary in the water and which was struck at speed at night by another larger vessel on which proper watch was not being maintained, was a passive party to the accident and, in that sense, was in no way responsible for causing it. These views have been conveyed to the families and I sincerely hope that it will be of some solace to them in coping with the tragic losses they have had to endure.
I hope these views and the public statements on the tragic incident and on the terms of the report made by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and myself, will allow all to draw this matter to a close. It is my strong view, in the circumstances and for the good of all concerned, that this matter should not be further considered in the absence of new relevant and substantial developments.