Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank the Department for the comprehensive briefing note provided to Members. It is always helpful to have such briefing notes. The information provided gives us a detailed breakdown of the Bill but does not oversimplify what is relatively complex, consolidating legislation.

The purpose of the Bill is to update and set out in one stand-alone enactment the law relating to the State’s maritime jurisdiction. Our maritime jurisdiction law establishes the State's different maritime zones and provides a legal basis for delineating their limits and boundaries. The State has different rights and obligations in each of these zones and may regulate activities in each zone only to the extent permitted by international law.

Senator Ward spoke earlier about clarity, which is really important. I agree that while we cannot have absolute certainty, we do need absolute clarity in the context of this legislation. I welcome the outline of the Bill which is important. I am conscious of the background to it and of how it reads in the context of the forthcoming maritime area planning Bill. The Bills are connected in the context of the bigger vision and bigger plan to interconnect all aspects of this issue. I want to be fair and give credit to those involved. This Bill is important and will supplement the maritime area planning Bill. Senator Higgins referred earlier to the importance of all of the related issues, some of which have been mentioned today including marine life, fisheries issues and the challenges facing the fishing industry on the island of Ireland. Senator Chambers said earlier that it is important to remember that we are an island, surrounded by water. We know the ongoing challenges that affect us. This is not the day to talk about fisheries quotas but hopefully something good will happen in the future. The fishing industry is facing major challenges. There are also issues around offshore renewable energy, which is important, as well as maritime planning, environmental protection, biodiversity, life under the sea and what is going on there, not to mention climate change, all of which are interconnected.

I want to acknowledge the work of Senator Higgins on this legislation. I have seen some of the amendments she has tabled and they are impressive. To her credit, she has put a lot of work into this. Hopefully some of us will be in a position to support her amendments and the Minister of State will be in a position to accept some of them. I welcome this Bill in the wider context of marine planning. We need certainty around legal issues relating to the coast and our maritime jurisdiction. We should also have an ability to control, conserve and protect in the context of planning and the sea.