Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 647: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will ensure that non-payment of wages may be a basis for detention of a vessel by marine surveyors of his Department regardless of the flag of that vessel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9029/11]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The terms and conditions of employment on board vessels are a matter primarily for the State, known as the Flag State, in which a ship is registered. My Department does not have responsibility for the non-payment of wages on board foreign flagged ships which is a matter for the Flag State. A comprehensive body of Irish employment rights legislation governs the conditions of employment of workers on board vessels under the Irish flag. This would include legislation dealing with minimum wages.

Port State Control inspections onboard foreign flagged ships in Irish ports are carried out under the auspices of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control and EU Directives. These inspections are carried out to check for compliance with International Law. 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, Switzerland. Ireland was represented at the Conference by a tripartite delegation consisting of Government officials along with nominees from employers (IBEC) and workers (ICTU). The new Convention sets out clear principles and rights for seafarers. EU member states are committed to ratifying the new Convention and it is expected to come into force internationally in 2011 or 2012. Ireland will continue to work within the Paris MoU and with the other EU member states so as to ensure the development of the necessary port state control procedures that will be required in connection with the entry into force of the Maritime Labour Convention.