Written answers

Tuesday, 5 April 2022

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Legislative Reviews

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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224. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if it is intended to introduce new legislation to repeal the Merchant Shipping Act 1892 and replace it with a modern Act suitable to the realities of the 21st century; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18347/22]

Photo of Hildegarde NaughtonHildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Legislation for the maritime sector covers a wide timeframe ranging from before the foundation of the State until the present day. The core body of the Merchant Shipping Acts date from 1894 and consists of over 30 subsequent Merchant Shipping Acts. The Irish Maritime Directorate (IMD), made up of the Divisions across the maritime sector within my Department, has a wide-ranging legislative work programme in place covering safety standards for vessels, ship and port security, seafarer certification, seafarer working conditions, marine environment/ship-source pollution prevention, marine recreational safety matters, ports and harbours, and marine casualty investigation. The legislative programme is informed by international, European and domestic requirements. The implementation of this legislative programme is framed over a ten-year period 2019-2029.

In February 2021, the IMD published its Strategy for the period 2021-2025. The Strategy includes key actions to be undertaken in relation to our legislative work programme having regard to a new analysis of requirements at domestic, international and EU level and emerging requirements for the maritime sector. As part of our action plan under the IMD Strategy, officials from my Department received training from the Law Reform Commission and produced a finalised consolidated text of the Merchant Shipping Acts , and . This is the first step towards the progression of a future modern Merchant Shipping (Consolidation) Bill scheduled for development in the latter part of the legislative work programme.

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