Vol. 533 No. 1
54 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources when he expects to publish the promised legislation for mandatory safety training and the mandatory wearing of safety devices for fishermen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8118/01]
In relation to mandatory safety training detailed arrangements are in the course of being made by my Department, in consultation with the statutory agencies, to prepare for the introduction of the new measures. Consideration is being given to many logistical issues such as how many fishermen will require training; how will the training be phased and over what period; how will the training be financed; where will the training be given and by whom; what elements need to be covered in the training course; how long will the training course be; how will it be verified that training has taken place; and where will the onus lie at the level of the fishing enterprise for ensuring that training requirements are met.
All these issues will be subject to consultation with the fishing industry representative organisations in due course. The aim is to complete the consultation process by the end of April. The implementation of this initiative is a major undertaking and will take time but I am particularly determined that early progress should be made in respect of basic survival at sea training for new entrants to the fishing industry.
As regards the mandatory wearing of personal flotation devices, as I indicated to the House in my reply to a parliamentary question on 8 February last, the task now is how to translate this decision in principle into a workable scheme. This involves, among other things, defining the quality of standards to be specified for the equipment to be worn, definition of where the onus is to be placed for ensuring compliance with the regulation and the preparation of the necessary statutory instruments. As I said in my reply of 8 February, this process will involve detailed consultation with the statutory agencies and the fishing industry. Consultation with the statutory agencies has taken place and the Department will be initiating consultation with the fishing industry very shortly.
The aim is to have the consultation and analysis phase completed by the end of April. At that point I will take a decision on the basis of the advice then available on the timing of the publication of the legislation on the mandatory requirements. A lead in period will be required to enable the fishermen to adapt to the new situation.
