A Department of the Marine investigation into the rescue of 13 eastern European periwinkle-pickers from an island off Skerries could result in fines of up to €100,000 or a prison sentence of up to two years.
Ireland.comunderstands the focus of the investigation is on the status of t he craft used to transport the workers to the island and on whether EU measures regulating the processing and sale of periwinkles were breached.
A passenger boat licence is also required under the act if the vessel was used to make several trips carrying less than 12 people to or from work on each occasion.
The Department is also looking into the sale and processing of the periwinkles. The processing and sale of periwinkles are strictly regulated by EU directives and t he department is investigating if these measures were breached.
The group were picked up at 10pm on Saturday night by Skerries Lifeboat and taken to shore.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent, a Dublin North TD, said it appeared to be an exploitative type of situation.
"The person responsible for it needs to be seriously questioned as to their motivation and knowledge of labour law, over their sense of responsibility to people in their employment. It has all the tragic connotations of the Morecambe Bay disaster," he said.
Jim Glennon, north Dublin Fianna Fáil TD, called for the setting up of an ethnic minorities section at the Health and Safety Authority to ensure there is no recurrence of the Colt Island incident.
