The Minister for Industry and Commerce is unable to be present, as he did not anticipate that the Seanad would sit after 7 o'clock. This Bill deals with the implementing of certain ratifications which were given following International Labour Conventions. The first Convention provided for unemployment indemnity for seamen in the event of loss or foundering of ships. This Convention was adopted at the second session of the International Labour Conference held in 1920. It has been ratified by 19 States. The second Convention provides for the minimum age for the admission of young persons to employment as trimmers or stokers on ships. This Convention was adopted at the third session of the International Labour Conference held in 1921. It has been ratified by 25 States. The third Convention provides for the compulsory medical examination of young persons employed on ships. This Convention was also adopted at the third session of the International Labour Conference held in 1921. It has been ratified by 23 States. These Conventions are for the benefit of seamen and for the protection of young persons. It was originally intended that the implementing legislation should be included in the revised merchant shipping code, but as it was not considered desirable to delay any longer the implementing of Conventions ratified in 1930, it was decided to introduce a special Bill covering only the three Conventions referred to.
As to the Bill itself, clause 1 covers the unemployment indemnity Convention. The purpose of this Convention is to relieve, to some extent, a hardship on seamen. Pending the enactment of this Bill the right of seamen to wages terminated when a Saorstát ship was lost. Clause 1 will entitle them to wages from the shipowner for a further two months, the limit suggested in the Convention. The clause includes provision, in accordance with the Convention, for the withhholding of the indemnity in respect of any day on which a seaman is employed during the period. Paragraph 3 of clause 1 excludes fishing boats on the share system, an exception the justification for which will be obvious. It has been deemed right to make the clause retrospective to the time of ratification, and this is done in paragraph 4 of the section. Clauses 2 and 3 represent very desirable precautions for the protection of young persons. The employment of boys under 18 is unusual on Saorstát vessels, and as trimmers and stokers the employment of such boys is practically unknown, so that considered from the domestic point of view it may be said that the need for enforcing Conventions (2) and (3) is small. The international commitment has, however, been formally entered into and must be expressed in legislation. The principle of the Conventions, the reasonable safeguarding of boys under 18 employed at sea, cannot be open to any objection.
Clause 4 contains the penalties. The fines are in line with those imposed for various other offences under Merchant Shipping Acts. In clause 5 the definition of "young person" is in accordance with Conventions (2) and (3), and the definition of "ship," though more elaborate than that in the three Conventions, does no more than express the intention more precisely.