Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 300: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if any statutory authority exists to provide statutory marine environmental protection monitoring obligations regarding beach litter from shipping traffic in Irish coastal waters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18673/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Under the Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009, local authorities are responsible for the prevention and control of littering in their functional areas. While the legislation does not place specific obligations, in relation to beach litter from shipping traffic in Irish coastal waters, on local authorities, the authorities, as a matter of course, take appropriate actions, including the deployment of environmental enforcement teams and specialist back-up if required, to deal with any litter deposited on beaches that may present an environmental hazard.

There is also legislation in place governing the management of ship generated waste under International and EU law. Ireland is a party to the MARPOL Convention, an International Convention which provides for, among other things, prevention of pollution of the sea by garbage from ships. This Convention is in force in national law under the Sea Pollution Act 1991. Annex V of the Marpol Convention provides that Ships and Ports must have proper procedures and facilities in place for the management and disposal of garbage.

Under EU law, Ireland manages the reporting and discharge of ships' wastes, which include garbage, for shipping traffic in EU waters. Directive 2000/59/EC on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues, transposed into national legislation under the European Communities (Port Reception Facilities for Ship-Generated Waste and Cargo Residues) Regulations 2003, provides that ships must report, to their port of destination, whatever garbage is on board for discharge at that port. Ports must provide garbage reception facilities for ships, so as to eliminate the discharge of garbage from ships at sea.

My Department is in the process of transposing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive into Irish law. The purpose of the Directive is to establish a framework within which Member States must establish objectives aimed at achieving or maintaining good environmental status in the marine environment by 2020 at the latest. One of the criteria to be developed for the initial assessment of good environmental status is litter in the marine environment and it will be the responsibility of each Member State to establish standards for this criterion by 2012. This will, in turn, lead to the definition of specific measures to be applied (if required) in marine waters, by the appropriate authorities.