I move amendment No. 30 :—
In sub-section (2), line 49, to delete " five " and substitute " ten ".
This amendment concerns a matter to which I referred the last day, namely, the question of penalties. The amendment is to increase the penalty from £5 to £10 in respect of each day on which the offence is continued as laid down in the section. It seems to me that there is very little argument required for the amendment except to mention the danger of putting down certain fines and finding the Courts do not follow the objective set out by the Oireachtas in framing the Bills. We should try to emphasise the seriousness of these offences. I have in mind a report in the last issue of the Trade Journal which deals with the case of a person who was prosecuted for serious breaches of regulations in respect of the protection of persons against fire where cellulose was used. If there had been a fire, there could have been a very serious situation. The person was found guilty and fined 40/-. In relation to present-day money values, a fine of 40/- is neither here nor there. While the sum of £5 does represent some advance, I think that £10 is the very minimum fine when we recall that we are dealing with a section of the Bill laying down the statutory provisions in respect of the means of escape from fire. These provisions are directly allied to the question of the protection of human life. Where there are continuing breaches, such as we are dealing with in this case, a fine of £10 per day is not too great to enforce not merely the law but to enforce the safety of persons working in factories who are dependent on the enforcement of these regulations for their safety.