DAFM seek to reintroduce Penalty Points on Irish Fishing Vessels

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) will look to reintroduce penalty points system on Irish fishing

General Scheme of the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2020

The Government have authorised the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to arrange for the referral of the General Scheme of the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2020 to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine for prelegislative scrutiny prior to its submission to the Office of Parliamentary Counsel for drafting.

This means that the DAFM will seek to reintroduce a penalty points scheme on Irish fishing vessels.

The main purpose of the proposed legislative amendments is to provide for a points system for masters (skippers) of fishing vessels for serious infringements of the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy, as required by EU Council Regulation 1224/2009. The draft amending legislation would resolve some typographical errors in the Sea-fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 Act of 2006 and introduce other miscellaneous and technical amendments.

The General Scheme has been published on the Department’s website and submitted to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine for prelegislative scrutiny.

Source: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Previous attempt to introduce a penalty poin system had failed under challenges in the High Court.