Jim O'Keeffe
Question:21 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the current position in relation to the dispute over Rockall and adjacent areas.
Written Answers. - Rockall Dispute.
As the Deputy will be aware the question of jurisdiction over the continental shelf in the Rockall area was a matter of dispute with the British for many years. As a result of negotiations these difficulties were resolved and an Agreement between Ireland and Britain on the delimitation of the continental Shelf including in particular large areas of the Rockall Plateau entered into force on the 11th day of January 1990. No conflicting claim with the British in this area in relation to continental shelf jurisdiction, now remains. Designation Orders governing large areas of the Rockall Plateau under Irish jurisdiction were subsequently made by the Government.
Claims by both Denmark and Iceland to areas of the Rockall Plateau which are rejected by the Government, remain to be addressed.
In relation to the waters in the 200 nautical mile exclusive Irish fishery zone in the Atlantic, these are governed by the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Community. There has been no delimitation between Ireland and Britain of these waters. The status of the Rock itself remains unchanged.