Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 302: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding his objectives to maximise the area of the continental shelf under Irish jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9997/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland claims continental shelf extending beyond the standard 200 nautical mile entitlement both to the west and to the south of the country. Under international law these claims must be examined by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. For the purposes of our claims we have divided the extended shelf into three sectors.

The first sector is to the south-west of the country near the Porcupine Abyssal Plain, an area which is approximately half the size of the State's land territory. It was the subject of Ireland's first submission to the Commission. The Commission issued recommendations in 2007. These confirmed Ireland's entitlement in this sector and set out details of where the new outer limit there should be established. The area involved is approx. 39,000 square kilometres, which is a very satisfactory outcome. The Government made an Order last year under the 1968 Continental Shelf Act which formally establishes the area concerned as Irish continental shelf. The details of this new area of Irish continental shelf have been deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The second claim is in the Celtic Sea, where there are unresolved boundary issues with the UK, France and Spain. The four countries made a joint submission for this 80,000 square kilometre area in 2006. Last March the UN Commission confirmed this claim and negotiations on the division of the area concerned between the four countries are expected to begin later this year.

Ireland also claims part of the Hatton-Rockall Area of the North-East Atlantic, which extends up to 500 nautical miles from the coast. There is an agreed Ireland-UK boundary here but it is not accepted by Iceland or the Færoe Islands, which make their own claims. The four countries have met regularly since 2001 in an effort to resolve the overlapping claims issue, but to date have been unable to reach agreement. In view of the 10-year deadline for the making of submissions to the UN Commission – which for Ireland expired last May – the State lodged its national claim for this area at the end of March. While the Commission's rules of procedure prevent consideration of a submission concerning a disputed area without the consent of all the states concerned, its lodgement at this time stops the clock on the deadline and preserves Ireland's legal position. In the meantime, the four states intend to keep the matter under regular review and we will continue to work for the creation of conditions that will permit consideration of the submission by the Commission as soon as possible.