Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This House debated the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill earlier this year. The central premise of the Government's argument was that it was important to permit UK-registered vessels to have access to Irish fisheries right to the shoreline and to reinstate the principle of voisinage agreements ahead of Brexit, to build good relations with the British Government. In recent weeks, the Scottish Government has stated that Scotland will board Irish vessels and take them back to Scottish ports, and will take the owners to court, if needs be, to defend what they call their 12-mile limit around Rockall.

At the time we wondered. This is not typical behaviour of the SNP government, led by Nicola Sturgeon. Normally, it is a prudent government. However, now, several issues have emerged. The 2013 bilateral agreement, which was signed by the then-Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, at a time the current Taoiseach and Tánaiste were in government, with the latter having responsibility for the marine - recognises not only the exclusive British economic zone around Rockall but also significant waters around it. They have drawn a marine boundary and signed a bilateral agreement. That agreement was never laid before these Houses. It has never been open to the scrutiny of these Houses. No fisheries organisations were consulted about the agreement. I seek legal clarification, therefore, from the Minister as to the status of that agreement, how it impacts on the Scottish or British claim to Rockall and the fisheries around it, and, perhaps, oil and gas reserves. What is the status of that agreement stands and why was it signed?

Second, why did the Minister fail to make it clear to the Oireachtas Members he briefed, having spoken to both Houses, at the time that he sought to reinstate that arrangement under the Sea Fisheries (Amendment) Bill? Why did he not make clear that at that time the Scottish Government was corresponding with him and threatening to board Irish vessels, asserting their authority over the 15-mile limit? Why did he not think it necessary to make Members aware of that at the time? Does he think that would have impacted on the decision made by these Houses? The fisheries organisations are very angry. Some say they acted in good faith when they were briefed by the Minister to support the legislation, which they did reluctantly, but now they have learned of the correspondence with the Scottish Government to the effect that Britain was reasserting its rights and trying to keep Irish vessels out of its waters, and that far from Ireland not standing up for its interests, we would give them more. It is extraordinary. We need answers.