Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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58. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the Government's position on the ownership of Lough Foyle due to the ongoing claim of the British Crown Estate; and if this has been raised recently with the British Government. [36325/16]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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59. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has considered the long outstanding questions concerning territorial ownership and demarcation of the Border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. [36326/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 59 together.

I reject the UK government’s assertion of jurisdiction over the whole of Lough Foyle, a claim which has never been accepted by any Irish Government.

Uncertainty concerning the extent to which each side exercises jurisdiction within Lough Foyle has created practical difficulties for the conduct of a number of activities there. This has included difficulty in creating a system for licencing of aquaculture by the Loughs Agency in accordance with the intentions of the two Governments under the 1999 agreement establishing the North/South implementation bodies. I want to see the Loughs Agency working to its full potential which is in the interests of everyone on this island.

Following discussions in 2011 between the then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the British Foreign Secretary, both Governments agreed to seek to address and resolve jurisdictional issues relating to both Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough.

Since that time a series of meetings have taken place at official level between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The issues involved are complex and involve a range of different actors, including the Crown Estates. These discussions are continuing and the next meeting is scheduled for early next month. The Irish Government is committed to reaching a successful conclusion to these talks.