I remind members that the Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (Single Electricity Market) Bill 2006, which deals with our relationship with Northern Ireland, will be dealt with tomorrow at 10 a.m. There are 90 amendments tabled and I hope members will be in attendance on time.
Business of Select Committee.
Some of us also have Front Bench responsibilities tomorrow.
We will decide the order of business tomorrow morning.
It would be better to do that.
The Minister of State, Deputy Browne, will be here tomorrow. We are anxious to finish the Bill tomorrow.
We need to finish it tomorrow.
I thank the Minister and his officials and those from the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Loughs Agency and the Office of the Legislative Council. I hope our work today will be of benefit to the work on the Bill in Westminster. This is the first North-South legislation this committee has dealt with. We have had a number of firsts with our e-consultation on the broadcasting Bill on 10 and 11 January, which was very successful. We will shortly report back to the Dáil on the matter and I hope that report will prove useful.
I thank everybody for their assistance. I thank the Opposition Deputies for their co-operation on the Bill and the recognition of the importance of its enactment in tandem with the equivalent legislation in Westminster. It is an important measure in the delivery of service by a North-South body established under the Good Friday Agreement. It will give the Loughs Agency the necessary power to regulate aquaculture. It generally provides for the modernisation and expansion of the agency's responsibilities regarding the fishery resources of the two loughs. I thank the officials from a number of offices and Departments in Northern Ireland and acknowledge their commitment and goodwill in progressing the legislation to this stage. I thank in particular the officials from the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Office of the Legislative Council and the Loughs Agency, who are in the Gallery today. They have contributed considerably to the legislation over a number of years. I thank the committee secretariat for facilitating the timing of this meeting to ensure the legislation was passed in tandem.
I thank the Minister and his officials and all those who have shown an interest in the Bill. While this is not my portfolio, I have a passing interest by virtue of a previous incarnation. As this is the first legislation of its kind, I hope the legislation works well. It is important to get it right in as much as we can anticipate what might happen in the future. One cannot always do that to the extent that one would like, but at least we try. I hope that those affected directly by the legislation will find that it is sufficiently structured to ensure it does the job intended and that they expect it to do.
I echo those comments. The most important thing is that the lives of those living along Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough will be somewhat enhanced by the legislation. I thank the Minister for accepting a number of amendments and considering amendments that will ensure that local communities and stakeholders will have as much influence as possible. I thank the Minister's officials. It is regrettable that the Northern Ireland Assembly did not have direct input into the legislation from the other part of the island. Political events have ensured that we were required to take the lead with the British Government to get it passed. It is most important to pass the legislation for the two important areas of Ireland in question.
At the outset, I probably should have declared my interest on the basis that I live within a stone's throw of the Foyle and represent the people of the area.
The Deputy is doing a superb job of representing the people of the area.
If I left the committee without putting this on record, someone might have claimed I was here for some internal reason.
Deputy Keaveney has made an invaluable contribution today for which I thank her.
Go raibh maith agat. The fishermen in the Lough Foyle area to whom I have spoken cannot believe that this process is so close to completion. They were stunned yesterday when they realised that Committee Stage would not last for months and that the only other Stage to be completed is Report Stage, which will take place within a short period of time. The fishermen, who believe there is room for everybody in Lough Foyle, have expressed the view that the right Bill is much better than any Bill. They are looking forward to the continued interest of the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, or his successor — whoever happens to be in the marine Department for the next 100 years — in ensuring that Lough Foyle is developed. It is obvious that its massive potential is being stymied by things like seed. It will be possible to address such issues under this legislation.
I wish the new agency well with the work it will have to do. Certain people will always be unhappy when change takes place, although such flux makes other people happy. The small amount of additional extra work that has been done on this Bill has made it more likely to work. I look forward to looking out on Lough Foyle to see the results of the Government's investment in new boats. However, if we think that investment will solve the employment problems in my local area, we should think again. If we decide that aquaculture should replace whitefish and salmon fisheries, we will end up with far too many boats trying to divide the overall pie into too many segments.
That is right.
This is an important Bill which involves a very important turnover. We do not want everybody to think they can jump into this sector because that would ruin it for everybody. We should show some common sense. I respect the work that has been done by the Opposition and the Department on this matter.
I thank the Deputy. The committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
The select committee adjourned at 4.05 p.m. until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 31 January 2007.