Vol. 503 No. 4
91 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the Government's pol icy regarding litter on beaches; the action, if any, he proposes to take to control dumping of waste material and litter at sea; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10374/99]
My responsibilities relate solely in this regard to the prevention and control of the discharge and dumping of waste material from vessels at sea.
In 1997 four sets of regulations were made under the Sea Pollution Act, 1991, to give effect to provisions of the IMO Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships – MARPOL. These provide a legal base for appropriate intervention by public authorities to prevent pollution at sea. Work is under way to adopt further provisions of MARPOL concerning the prevention of pollution by sewage from ships and the prevention of air pollution from ships.
