Eamon Gilmore
Ceist:91 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if he will make a statement on his meeting in Dublin on 6 April 2001 with Ministers from the Executive in Northern Ireland. [12792/01]
Written Answers - Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission.
On 6 April 2001, I hosted the fourth meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council in its Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights format at my Department in Dublin. The Northern Ireland Executive was represented by Bríd Rodgers, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development and Sam Foster, Minister for the Environment.
The council considered a range of matters relating to the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission, which is one of the six implementation bodies established by the British-Irish agreement. The commission's remit under the agreement relates to aquaculture and marine matters. The main items covered by the council on 6 April were: a progress report in relation to the development of consultation arrangements with fisheries interests in the Foyle and Carlingford areas; approval of a draft equality scheme prepared by the loughs agency of the commission; approval of a proposed review of the grading and salary of certain loughs agency field staff posts to be undertaken as soon as possible; approval of three sets of regulations to be made by the commission regarding a wild salmon tagging scheme and general angling matters; a progress report on the preparation of the Foyle and Carlingford Fisheries Bill, providing for the development and licensing of aquaculture and for the exercise of a development function in relation to inland fisheries in the Foyle and Carlingford areas; a progress report on the transfer of the functions of the commissioners of Irish Lights to the commission.
The council agreed to meet again in this format in Northern Ireland in June 2001.