Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to return to the Seanad with the Bill, which was introduced in 2003. The Senators who dealt with it at that time will recall that the purpose of the Bill is to update our legislation in respect of the protection of the marine environment and to give effect in our law to several internationally agreed instruments. The Bill was passed by the Seanad in December 2003 and in the Dáil on 11 October last. It has been amended by the Dáil and reflects the developments that have occurred since it was passed by the Seanad and some of the concerns expressed by Senators in 2003.

The Dáil amended the Bill to include the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments — the BWM Convention — among the international instruments to which it refers. This convention was adopted internationally since the Bill was passed by the Seanad.

Group 1 of the amendments relates to the subject matter of amendments Nos. 1, 15 to 23, inclusive, and 25 to 30, inclusive, namely, the BWM Convention to which I just referred. Amendment No. 1 amends the Title of the Bill. Amendments Nos. 15, 17, 19, 21 and 22 are consequential drafting amendments. Amendment No. 23 includes a definition of the word "sediments". Amendments Nos. 25 and 30 involve changes to various provisions of the 1991 Act relating to the making of orders and regulations in respect of the MARPOL Convention. Section 36 of the Bill, as passed by the Seanad, provided for MARPOL, annex VI, and the AFS convention.