Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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219. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when sections 1-68 of Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Act 2014 comes into effect. [23722/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The main purpose of the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Act 2014 is to replace and update the Mercantile Marine Act 1955, as amended, which currently governs the national ship registration system. Under the 1955 Act, ship registration duties are carried out by Registrars of Ships who are officers of the Revenue Commissioners.

The 2014 Act provides a legislative basis for the establishment and regulation of a modern and comprehensive ship registration system that will be more efficient and user friendly for ship owners. The Act provides an enabling framework for new ship registration regulations and facilitates the introduction of a new centralised, electronic and accessible Irish Register of Ships, consisting of different Parts, for the registration of different types of ships and for different registration purposes. It also provides for the extension of mandatory registration to additional ship categories.

Full commencement of the 2014 Act requires the establishment of the new electronic Irish Register of Ships and registration regime, which will be progressed under a separate IT project, and the preparation of new ship registration regulations to complement and align with the Register IT project. At this point I am not in a position to be precise about the timeframe for commencement given the need to develop the new electronic Register and associated regulations, and then to transfer ship registration information and functions from the Revenue Commissioners to the new Register and my Department. The current ship registration arrangements under the 1955 Act will therefore continue for some time yet.