Vol. 456 No. 1
85 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for the Environment the steps, if any, he has taken to seek the establishment of an Inter-Governmental Conference on the Irish Sea as was promised in the Programme, A Government of Renewal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11838/95]
The recently completed third and final report of the Irish Sea Science Co-ordination Group proposes a set of studies and other measures that will help to fill important gaps in scientific knowledge of the Irish Sea and form the basis of a more structured, integrated and collaborative science programme. The report is the subject of consultations between relevant Irish and UK Departments and agencies, including my Department and the Department of Marine, with a view to identifying projects which might be undertaken on a co-ordinated basis or incorporated in the individual research programmes of the bodies concerned.
Departments here and in the UK are also liaising on the preparation of a quality status report on the Irish Sea as part of a broader initiative involving the preparation of such assessments for the entire maritime area covered by the OSPAR Convention. The convention area has been divided into five subregions for this purpose. Ireland and the UK have been assigned responsibility for one of these (Region 111), known as the Celtic Seas which covers the Irish Sea and the other marine waters around our coasts, including the area to the west of Scotland. Work is expected to commence on the Region 111 report early in 1996. The question of a conference on the Irish Sea will be pursued in the context of these developments.
