I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in amendment No. 1:
In page 7, lines 6 to 13 deleted and the following subsection substituted:
"(1) (a) Every ordinary member of a society for a particular year shall, if ordinarily resident in Ireland, be entitled to vote at an election held in that year for members of the regional board for the region which includes the society's area but, in the case of the election for any year subsequent to the first election after the commencement of this Act, only if he had also been an ordinary member for any two other years since the previous election.
(b) Every former life member of Iontaobhas Iascaigh Intire Incorportha (The Inland Fisheries Trust Incorporated) who registered under section 58 (4) of the Fisheies Act, 1980, in the register of a regional board and who is ordinarily resident in Ireland on the date fixed under the Fisheries Act, 1980, for the receipt of nominations at an election held for members of the regional board by which the register is maintained, shall be entitled to vote at that election.
(c) This subsection shall not prejudice the operation of section 13 of the Fisheies Act, 1980.".
The amendment provides for the restoration to life members of the former Inland Fisheries Trust their entitlement to vote in the regional board elections free of charge.
The former Inland Fisheries Trust was dissolved under section 35 of the Fisheries Act, 1980. Section 58 (4) (a) of the said Act provided for persons who were life members of the former trust to be enabled to register free of charge with one of the regional fisheries boards on the register of trout, coarse fish and sea anglers as trout, coarse fish or sea anglers. Section 59 of the Act provided for the life members to enjoy certain benefits in relation to fisheries owned or managed by the central and regional fisheries boards.
Under the Fisheries (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 1987, the registration arrangement for trout and coarse fish anglers ceased to exist. The registers became registers of sea anglers. Licences were introduced for trout and coarse fish angling and the electorate for the boards was to be comprised of licence holders as is the case in relation to salmon anglers. Accordingly the arrangement whereby life members could be included in the electorate free of charge was terminated. The 1987 Act provided however for the benefits relating to fishing on board waters to be continued and improved.
Since announcing my proposals last year to replace trout and coarse fishing licences with the new system as set out in this Bill I received several representations seeking to give some recognition in the system to the life members who, when there was very little support for inland fisheries, made contributions in order to develop inland fisheries. This is a recognition of that commitment in the past. Deputies Gilmore and Garland raised the matter during Committee Stage of the Bill and it was raised again on the Second Stage debate in the Seanad and I undertook to have a look at the matter. Having considered the matter I proposed this amendment on Committee Stage in the Seanad where it was warmly welcomed and agreed. It is a very simple amendment which should not delay the House.
In effect this amendment ensures that life members are entitled to vote in board elections whether or not they are members of co-ops. They will not however have any entitlements in relation to the election of co-op management committees or ballots unless of course they become ordinary members of the co-ops. Molaim an leasú don Teach.