Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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112. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on his negotiation with the UK Government to reinstate access for the Irish fishing fleet to their traditional fishing grounds at Rockall. [54995/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Rockall is a small, uninhabitable rock located approximately 160 nautical miles west of the Scottish islands of St. Kilda, and 230 nautical miles to the north-west of Donegal. As the Deputy is aware, Ireland has not sought to claim sovereignty over Rockall. The UK claimed sovereignty over Rockall in 1955 and sought to formally annex it as part of Scotland under its 1972 Island of Rockall Act. The consistent position of successive Irish Governments is that Ireland does not recognise Britain’s claim of sovereignty over Rockall. Accordingly, Ireland does not accept that a 12 nautical mile (22km) territorial sea exists around Rockall. Ireland’s long-held view is that a rock incapable of sustaining human habitation does not allow for the creation of a territorial sea. Therefore, the agreement under the TCA relating to access to the UK 12-200 mile zone should apply inside the 12nm zone around Rockall.

We understand that the UK takes a different view.

Irish vessels have traditionally fished for haddock, which is subject to a quota limit, and squid, which is not subject to a quota limit, in the waters around Rockall. Haddock may be caught both within and outside 12 nautical miles of Rockall, but squid is caught within 6 nautical miles of Rockall. Other stocks caught in the waters around Rockall, both within the 12 miles area and outside, are monkfish and megrim.

I can assure the Deputy that reaching an agreement on matters relating to Rockall remains an important issue for the Government.

The matter has been raised previously with the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, and the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson. The Government continues to be in regular contact with the relevant Scottish and UK authorities on Rockall and there is agreement that we will continue to work together to seek a resolution.

Through this engagement, the Government is seeking to address the issues involved, reflecting the long-standing fisheries patterns in the area.

I am committed to finding a way forward and I will continue to work closely with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris T.D., on this issue.