Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 254: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 213 of 29 September 1999, the bilateral British-Irish Agreements signed or entered into since September 1999; the date of the agreement in each case, if the agreement is in force; if so, the extent in that regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18135/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The following bilateral agreements concluded between the State and the United Kingdom have entered into force since September 1999: — agreement between the two Governments — British/Irish Agreement — Belfast, 10 April 1998, entered into force on 2 December 1999; — agreement establishing a British-Irish Council, Dublin, 8 March 1999, entered into force on 2 December 1999; — agreement establishing a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, Dublin, 8 March 1999, entered into force on 2 December 1999 — agreement establishing implementation bodies, Dublin, 8 March 1999, entered into force on 2 December, 1999; — agreement establishing a North-South Ministerial Council, Dublin, 8 March 1999, entered into force on 2 December 1999; — exchange of letters, dated 18 June 1999, constituting an agreement supplementary to the agreement between the two Governments establishing implementation bodies, Dublin, 8 March 1999, entered into force on 2 December 1999; — exchange of letters, dated 27 September 2000 and 10 October 2000 amending the agreement between the two Governments concerning the International Fund for Ireland, entered into force on 10 October 2000; — exchange of notes dated 18 October 2001 and 31 October 2001 constituting an agreement pursuant to Article 83 paragraph 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 on the provisional delimitation of an area of the continental shelf, entered into force on 31 October 2001; — exchange of notes dated 19 November 2002 concerning certain decisions of the North-South Ministerial Council and related matters, entered into force on 3 December 2002; — agreement on police co-operation, Belfast, 29 April 2002, entered into force on 20 December 2002; — agreement establishing the Independent Monitoring Commission, Dublin, 25 November 2003, entered into force on 7 January 2004; — agreement on the early notification of a nuclear accident or incident of radiological significance and the exchange of information concerning the operation and management of nuclear facilities or activities, Dublin, 10 December 2004, entered into force on 10 December 2004.

In accordance with the requirements of Article 29.5.1° of Bunreacht na hÉireann, all of these agreements have been laid before Dáil Éireann following their entry into force. In addition, for the convenience of the public, they have also been published in the Irish treaty series by my Department and have been made available on the Department's website, www.dfa.ie/treaties.

In addition to the foregoing treaties, I am aware of a further two bilateral agreements concluded with the United Kingdom that have been signed on behalf of Ireland but that have not yet entered into force. These are the convention on social security, signed in Dublin on 14 December 2004 and the agreement relating to the transmission of natural gas by a second pipeline between Ireland and the United Kingdom, and through a connection to the Isle of Man, signed at Gormanstown on 24 September 2004. Both agreements are expected to enter into force shortly.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 255: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 213 of 29 September 1999, the bilateral British-Irish Agreements signed or entered into which have been registered with the League of Nations or United Nations but not published in the Irish treaty series; the date of the agreement in each case; if the agreement is in force; if so, the extent in that regard (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18136/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Following entry into force of a treaty with respect to the State it has long been the practice of my Department to arrange simultaneously for its registration with the Secretary General of the United Nations, pursuant to Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations and for its publication in the Irish treaty series. I am not aware of any bilateral agreement concluded with the United Kingdom that has been registered with the United Nations but not published in the treaty series.

I am aware of only two instances of bilateral treaties concluded with the United Kingdom and registered with the League of Nations pursuant to Article 18 of its covenant that were not also published in the treaty series. These were the treaty between Great Britain and Ireland, signed at London on 6 December 1921 and the agreement amending and supplementing the treaty of December 6, 1921, between Great Britain and the Irish Free State, signed in London on 3 December 1925.

These agreements were concluded prior to the commencement of publication of the treaty series in 1930. They were, in due course, amended by the agreements between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom, signed in London on 25 April 1938 and printed as Number 1 of 1938 in the Irish treaty series.