The necessity for this short Bill arises from the fact that arrangements for administration of the fisheries of the entire catchment area of the River Foyle by a commission representing the fishery authorities in Dublin and Belfast are expected to be put into operation for the 1952 fishing season. As the House will be aware, the Governments in Dublin and Belfast some time ago reached agreement on the acquisition from the Irish Society on behalf of the public of all the fishing rights claimed by that body in the River Foyle. Both Governments require legislation in order to carry through this purchase, to set up a joint commission to manage the acquired fisheries and to administer the fisheries in the Foyle area generally. The form of the proposed legislation has been settled for some time but as the Belfast Government has been awaiting the grant of certain enabling powers by the Westminster Parliament it has been necessary to delay the circulation of this legislation. I hope to be in a position to bring this very important measure before the Oireachtas early in the New Year but in the meantime the present Bill has been introduced with a view to keeping the situation static, namely, by suspending the issue of fishing licences in the Moville district, save those for fishing with rod and line, until such time as a new licensing system can be set up by the proposed commission. That briefly is the purpose of Section 1 of the Bill.
As I have already mentioned, the main Foyle fisheries legislation should be before the Oireachtas early in the New Year, and there is every reason to expect that the commission should be established in good time for the issue of licences before the statutory opening of the net fishing season on the 15th April. If, however, for any reason the commission should not be set up in time the Moville Board of Conservators can be authorised by Order under sub-section (2) of Section 1 to issue licences in the ordinary way.
In addition to prohibiting the Moville Board from issuing or permitting the issue of licences as indicated, it is necessary to suspend the right given by Section 31 of the Fisheries (Ireland) Act, 1848, namely that any person demanding a licence and tendering the appropriate licence duty must receive such licence without question. It will be observed that the effect of Section 2 of the Bill is simply to suspend that right for so long as the issue of licences is prohibited by Section 1.
The remaining provisions of the Bill, Section 3 (Interpretation) and Section 4 (Short Title and Construction) are self-explanatory.
I should mention that a Bill in similar terms to suspend the issue of licences by the Derry Board of Conservators has also been introduced at Stormont. Provision is thus being made for a standstill of the issue of fishing licences (other than those for rod and line) throughout the entire catchment area of the River Foyle so that the commission, which is to have jurisdiction over that area, may have a free hand in regulating fishing operations as from the commencement of the 1952 fishing season.