Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen to discuss public petition regarding ‘Justice and Safety’ and other petitions

The Committee will hear from the petitioner, Mr Gaffney; Ms Mary Bertelsen, Campaigner and Concerned Citizen on Peoples Rights; Mr Jakob Pinkster, Stability and Ship Building Expert; and Mr Justin Delaney, Stability Expert.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Martin Browne said: “This petition is from Mr C J Gaffney, a fisherman based in Arklow, Co Wicklow. The petition relates to his long campaign for compensation following his purchase in 2007 of a Dutch-built, German-registered trawler, which was then registered in Ireland and later found to be unstable and unsafe. The Committee welcomes Mr Gaffney and his supporting witnesses and looks forward to discussing his case, which has clearly had a considerable impact on him, his family and his business. Members will also discuss a number of other petitions from members of the public.”

The Joint Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen is a standing Committee of the Houses of the Oireachtas and has 11 Members, seven from the Dáil and four from the Seanad.

The meeting in the Committee Room 1 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.