Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 437: To ask the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that over the past seven years more than €1.3 million in unpaid wages for the crews of foreign registered commercial cargo vessels trading into Irish ports has been recovered by the Irish inspectorate of the International Transport Workers Federation working in tandem with SIPTU; if he will take steps to address the problem of unpaid wages for many seafarers on vessels trading in ports here; if he will identify practical measures that he will undertake to facilitate the Irish ITF and SIPTU campaign to tackle the issue of unpaid wages; when he will make statements regarding the activity of the maritime surveyors and inspectors from his Department operating under the provisions of the Paris memorandum on port state control; the sections of the monitoring of seafarers' working conditions within and outside of his remit and control; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22901/08]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 438: To ask the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that over the past seven years, more than €1.3 million in unpaid wages for the crews of foreign registered commercial cargo vessels trading into Irish ports has been recovered by the Irish Inspectorate of the International Transport Workers Federation working in tandem with SIPTU; and the steps he will take to publicly acknowledge that there is a problem of unpaid wages for many seafarers on vessels trading into Irish seaports and identify practical steps within the constraints of current legislation or regulations that he can and is willing to take to help the Irish ITF inspectorate/SIPTU in their day-to-day tackling of this problem. [22970/08]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 439: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that when he and his departmental officials are making statements regarding the activity of maritime surveyors-inspectors from his Department, operating under the provisions of the Paris memorandum on port state control, it is important to avoid couching these statements in language which gives the impression that his Department can and does deal comprehensively with the full ambit of seafarers' working conditions when a large amount of the most important working conditions of seafarers is outside the remit of his Department. [22971/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 437 to 439, inclusive, together.

I am aware of the role of the International Transport Workers Federation and in particular the work of SIPTU in relation to assisting seafarers on vessels calling at Irish ports.

The payment of wages on foreign flagged ships is a matter for the flag state where the ship is registered and is a matter for the internal domestic law of that country. However, Ireland does carry out inspections onboard foreign flagged ships in Irish ports under the auspices of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on port state control and EU directives.

Where appropriate when a valid complaint is received from SIPTU/ITF representing seafarers with concerns regarding shipboard living and working conditions on board a particular vessel, the vessel is considered as a priority for inspection by port state control in Ireland. If the vessel cannot be inspected in Ireland, then a ship related message is placed on the Paris MoU's information system to alert the other member states.

The port state control inspections referred to above will cover the International Maritime Organisation's various safety and environment protection conventions as well as the International Labour Organisation Conventions. The inspection of the latter would cover the welfare of the crew (food, accommodation, hours of work etc) but would exclude rates of pay. Surveyors from my Department inspect over 400 foreign flagged ships per year and they detain vessels which pose a serious safety or environmental hazard or those on which the international requirements concerning living and working arrangements are not respected.

Ireland has consistently supported the International Labour Organisation in its efforts to promote global labour standards for seafarers. A new consolidated Maritime Labour Convention was adopted in February 2006 at the 94th International Labour Conference in Geneva.

Ireland was represented at the 94th Conference by a tripartite delegation consisting of Government officials, nominees of the employers (IBEC) and of the workers (ICTU). The new Convention sets out clear principles and rights for seafarers. Ireland fully supports the new Convention and voted in favour of the proposal.

The European Commission has indicated that it will continue to study all possible solutions aimed at safeguarding employment in the maritime sector and that it would also continue to pursue the implementation of International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards into Community law and to encourage discussion on this issue within the framework of the European Social Dialogue.