Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 June 2026
132. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding any Department review of the Antarctic Treaty (Accension and Implementation) Bill 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44755/26]
View answer133. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his views on the merits of progressing the aims within the Antarctic Treaty (Accension and Implementation) Bill 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44756/26]
View answer134. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding any review of Ireland’s position in relation to the Antarctic Treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44757/26]
View answer135. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if any consideration is being given to signing the Antarctic Treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44758/26]
View answer136. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding any discussions at an EU level into the merits of signing the Antarctic Treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44759/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 132, 133, 134, 135 and 136 together.
In 2021 the Department of Foreign Affairs commissioned an assessment of the full range of legislative, policy and administrative measures that would be necessary for Ireland to participate in the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS).
The report provided an overview of the obligations of the ATS, which consists of several different international legal instruments. These are the 1959 Antarctic Treaty; the 1980 Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources; the 1972 Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals; and the Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection 1991. Each of these has a different focus and set of requirements on participating States. The report suggested that it would be possible to sign up to the ATS with different degrees of commitment.
Government subsequently approved the establishment of an inter-departmental group to agree next steps regarding Ireland’s accession to the ATS. Part of the remit of this group will be to identify what, if any, legislation would be required to accede to the ATS at any level.
Following the transfer of marine environment functions to my Department on 1 August 2025, the priority is ensuring that threatened species, habitats, and ecosystem services in our own maritime area and the wider North-East Atlantic Region are protected as well as globally through the implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ). With this in mind, the Department's current focus is on providing for marine protected areas and the implementation of the BBNJ agreement.
A general scheme of a Bill to amend the Maritime Area Planning Act to enable the effective designation, management and protection of marine protected areas is being progressed and it is intended to bring this general scheme to Government for approval at the earliest opportunity.
It will be necessary to examine the Antarctic Treaty (Accension and Implementation) Bill 2026 in greater detail before any view can be formulated.
