Vol. 486 No. 1
207 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the Acts and provisions of Acts which are not in force due to the fact that a commencement order has not been made; whether an order will be made; if so, when this will occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1078/98]
The Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1997 was enacted on 14 May 1997. The principal order giving effect to the Act, with the exception of two sections, will be made on 1 April 1998. The operative dates of the commencement orders relating to the remaining two sections will be decided later. The sections in question cover the prohibition on licence applicants engaging in aquaculture in anticipation of licence, together with the time limit for licence decisions. The reason for this is the need to give priority attention to applications already in hand.
Part II of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1992 has not been commenced due to certain legal difficulties which have now been resolved by the enactment of the Merchant Shipping (Liability of Shipowners and Others) Act, 1996. It is anticipated that the commencement order for Part II of the 1992 Act will be made later this year. Part II of the Act relates to the certification of passenger ships.
