Vol. 520 No. 1
93 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the plans, if any, he has to introduce regulations in relation to the operation of leisure craft at sea and in inland waterways, to ensure the safety of persons using such craft and to minimise calls on the emergency services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14944/00]
On the issue of safety on leisure craft, as the Deputy is aware, the action group on small powered recreational craft, including personal watercraft, recently presented me with its final report. On the basis of this, I propose the introduction of a legislative framework for the regulation of recreational craft. This is being achieved through amendments to the Merchant Shipping Act, 1992 which are included in the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Bill, 1999. The Bill passed the Dáil Report and Final Stage on 24 May 2000.
The Bill foresees the implementation of regulations to take account, not only the safety of the passengers and occupants of the vessels in question, but also the safety of other persons resulting from the use of the vessels and any disturbance or nuisance caused by their usage.
Following on the enactment of this Bill, I hope to quickly introduce implementing regulations based on the recommendations of the action group's final report.
These regulations, allied to the recently launched "Year 2000 Safety on the Water" campaign, will contribute to an increase in safety in the water-based leisure sector and a resultant decrease in the emergency calls received by the emergency services in future.
