I share the Deputy's concern at the dangers posed by submarines to fishing vessels and their crews.
As Minister with responsibility for safety of life at sea as well as for the fishing sector, I am committed to taking every possible opportunity to focus the attention of the international maritime community on the hazards posed by submarines and to highlight the need for constant vigilance on the part of those who operate such vessels.
I would remind the House that under international law submarines travelling on the surface have the right of innocent passage, without notification, through territorial waters. They may, on the other hand, pass freely through international waters on the surface or submerged.
Nonetheless we have continued to make our concerns known at the appropriate international fora, notably the United Nations and the International Maritime Organisation. Indeed, it was at the Irish Government's express initiative that the General Assembly of the IMO unanimously passed a resolution, in November 1991, on the avoidance by submerged submarines of fishing vessels and their fishing gear.
I would like to restate for the House the terms of this resolution, which are as follows:
Firstly, to ensure that submarines navigating through areas where vessels are known to fish use all available means for determining the presence of such vessels and their fishing gear; secondly, to ensure that a submerged submarine, if information on the presence of a fishing vessel and its fishing gear is available, will avoid that fishing vessel and any fishing gear connected to it.
The IMO has requested member countries to bring these recommendations to the attention of authorities responsible for operating submarines and to develop local arrangements to promote safety in areas used by fishing vessels and submarines.
I am keeping the situation under close review; should further action at international level be required, the Deputy can rest assured that I, in my dual capacity as Minister for Defence and Marine, and my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, will initiate all possible steps to ensure that the dangers posed by submarine movements in the fishing grounds around our coast are minimised.