Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 2 Nov 1999

Vol. 509 No. 6

Written Answers. - Fishing Vessel Licences.

Jim O'Keeffe

Question:

142 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if his attention has been drawn to the case made by a person (details supplied) in County Cork that he should be granted a sea licence for his boat; his views on whether there was a genuine misunderstanding arising from correspondence sent to him from his Department of the type of tonnage which needed to be withdrawn in his situation; and if he will grant a licence without meeting the requirement to obtain replacement tonnage. [21738/99]

Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources (Dr. Woods)

The person in question applied to my Department for a sea fishing boat licence, under the special scheme designed to regularise the position of small vessels which, although part of the fleet, had not been formally licensed or registered. However his boat, which was constructed in 1993, did not meet the scheme's qualifying requirement of having been in the fleet since 1989.

The person subsequently sought to have his vessel licensed without removing equivalent capacity from the fishing vessel register, on the basis that he had not properly understood the stated requirements in that regard. It was not possible, given the well-established legal requirements of licensing policy in relation to replacement tonnage, to accede to this request.