Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Jan 1996

Vol. 460 No. 3

Written Answers. - International Agreements.

Frances Fitzgerald

Question:

614 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Marine the proposed international agreements under the auspices of his Department which are currently being drafted or prepared; and the international organisation, if any, responsible for the proposed agreement in each case. [19434/96]

Frances Fitzgerald

Question:

615 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Marine the international agreements under the auspices of his Department which, as of 1 January 1996, have been signed by the State but have not been ratified; the international organisation, if any, responsible for the agreement in each case; the date and place each agreement was adopted or opened for signature; the date it was signed by the State; whether it is proposed to ratify each agreement; and if so, when. [19453/96]

Frances Fitzgerald

Question:

616 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Marine the international agreements under the auspices of his Department which, as of 1 January 1996, have not been signed by the State and which it is proposed that the State should sign or become a party to; the international organisation, if any, responsible for the agreement in each case; the date and place each agreement was adopted or opened for signature; and when it is proposed to sign each agreement or become a party to it. [19468/96]

Minister for the Marine (Mr. Barrett)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 614, 615 and 616 together.

The international agreements falling within my Department's area of responsibility which have been signed by Ireland but have not been ratified are detailed in the following table.

Table

International agreements signed but not yet ratified.

International Agreement	International Organisation	Date and place agreement adopted/opened for signature	Date of signature by Ireland	Proposals for ratification
1. Convention for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic, 1992.	Oslo and Paris Commissions (OSPAR)	22 September 1992, Paris.	22 September 1992.	As soon as possible, following completion of legislative and other preparations.
2. Amendment of International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974.	International Maritime Organisation.	29 November 1995, London.	29 November 1995.	As soon as necessary implementation measures are in place.

There are a number of other international agreements which it is proposed that the State should sign or become party to. In the field of the marine environment, the 1992 Protocols to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969 and the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1971, which were adopted in London on 27 November 1992, under the auspices of the International Maritime Organisation, will be acceded to and ratified when preparations, including any necessary legislative action, have been completed. There are similar intentions in the case of the Convention on Oil Pollution Pre-paredness Response and Co-operation, also adopted under International Maritime Organisation auspices in London in November 1990. In fisheries matters, the UN Agreement on Straddling Stocks was adopted in New York in August 1995. Issues relevant to signing it are currently under consideration within the EU. It is intended also to accede to and ratify a number of conventions and Protocols, adopted under the auspices of the Brussels International Maritime Law Conventions and the International Maritime Organisation, relating to the liability of shipowners and others. The proposed Merchant Shipping (Liability of Shipowners and Others) Bill, which is in preparation in my Department, will effect the necessary changes to domestic law to facilitate such a course of action.

No other international agreements relevant to my Department's remit are being prepared or drafted at present.