Vol. 451 No. 4
40 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for the Marine the progress, if any, that has been made towards the establishment of an intergovernmental conference on the Irish Sea as promised in A Government of Renewal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6615/95]
Arrangements are in train for the setting up of an interdepartmental committee in order to progress Government policy on Sellafield and the Irish Sea. The relevant Ministers will meet shortly to consider a draft blueprint for action on Sellafield and the Irish Sea and to agree lead roles. It is proposed that the Minister of State at the Department of the Marine, Deputy Gilmore, would take the lead role in pursuing the setting up of an Inter-Governmental Conference of the Irish Sea because of the Department's concerns in relation to safety of navigation; protection of the marine environment; response to a major marine emergency; pollution from ships; marine research and the sea fishing industry.
In this context, the Department of the Marine will have available to it in June this year the final report of the Irish Sea Science Co-ordination Group which comprises representatives from the UK Department of the Environment and the Irish Departments of the Environment and the Marine.
The main functions of the group are to identify gaps in knowledge of Irish Sea marine environmental issues and to advise on priorities for integrated research and monitoring programmes for the Irish Sea.
