Life-jackets may become compulsory at sea and on inland waterways next year for children under 16. Minimum age limits may also be introduced for the use of jet-skis or powerboats, according to an interim report for the Government.
Certification of those using recreational craft and a national register of such vessels are other recommendations in the report. The interim proposals were accepted yesterday by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, who said that safety of children and young persons was paramount, given the unprecedented increase in activity on the water in recent years.
The report does not indicate how such new powers could be enforced, beyond stating that they should be made statutory at both national and local level. It recommends that the Minister should provide a legislative framework to allow local authorities to enact the necessary bylaws; equip himself with the means to apply uniform national conditions; and direct the action group to draw up a generic set of guidelines for local authorities on the design, implementation and management of the by-laws.
The measures are designed to improve safety at sea and on waterways in the wake of recent casualties, including the loss of four people in a boating accident off the Co Louth coast. The report was prepared by a special action group led by a former RNLI deputy chairman, Mr Clayton Love, and representatives of Government, local authorities and voluntary organisations, including the Irish Sailing Association. The group's final report is due in February 2000.
The group notes that disparate pieces of legislation have led to confusion in the public mind about the control of recreational craft on waterways and near beaches on the coast. It stresses that a national framework is required to ensure clarity and a uniform standard of application.
The initial focus should be on jet-skis or personal water craft and fast power craft, it says.
