HC Deb 09 February 1977 vol 925 c739W
Mr. Normanton

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the dispute between France, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland over the delineation of national areas in the Western Approaches related to oil exploration, was submitted to the Court of Justice in The Hague and not to the Court of Justice in Luxembourg which was established to deal with conflicts between member States.

Dr. Owen

The delimitation of the United Kingdom-France Continental Shelf has been submitted not to the International Court of Justice at The Hague but to a specially constituted Court of Arbitration at Geneva under a bilateral Agreement of 10th July 1975. The court is expected to give its decision later this year.

Officials of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland have been in touch with a view to the settlement of the Continental Shelf boundary between the two countries.

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