Vol. 430 No. 5
75 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Finance if he will support the proposal made by France to create a whale sanctuary in the Antarctic Ocean at the 44th meeting of the International Whaling Commission to be held in May 1993 in Japan.
121 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Finance the steps, if any, he proposes to take to support the establishment of whale sanctuaries throughout the world; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 121 together.
As I stated in my reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 70 and 71 of 2 March 1993, Ireland supported the French proposal made last year at the 44th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission to create a whale sanctuary in the Antarctic Ocean and was also involved in the setting up of a working group to examine the proposal further in preparation for this year's conference.
I am now happy to confirm that I have instructed Ireland's Commissioner at this year's conference in Kyoto, Japan to second the French proposal for a circumpolar whale sanctuary in the waters south of 40 degrees South.
Ireland's endorsement of the French proposal will ensure that this very worthwhile measure will be brought forward and debated fully by the parties to the IWC as it deserves to be.
