§ Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any representation has been received by Her Majesty's Government from a foreign Government since May 1979 against the 200-mile exclusive British fishery zone.
§ Mr. RifkindThe Danish Government stated in a Note Verbale in April 1981 that it did not consider the United Kingdom to be entitled to establish wide maritime zones measured from Rockall.
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§ Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Irish Government have objected to the straight baselines drawn around the coast of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. RifkindNo.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what uninhabited islands the Irish Government contend should not be used as measuring points in the British-Irish delimitation; whether there are temporary residents; and if he will specify the area and distance from the mainland coast of these islands.
§ Mr. RifkindHer Majesty's Government do not know what claims or arguments may be advanced on behalf of the Republic of Ireland in the forthcoming arbitration on the delimitation of the continental shelf. But I will write to my hon. Friend with details of the views about uninhabited islands which the Republic of Ireland has expressed in the past.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Irish Government designated any areas of continental shelf prior to 1977 which are now considered by Her Majesty's Government to fall within their jurisdiction; if he will specify those areas; and whether any protest has been made by Her Majesty's Government.
§ Mr. RifkindThe area designated by the Republic of Ireland in 1977 is the only area which overlaps an area designated by Her Majesty-in-Council pursuant to the Continental Shelf Act 1964. However, substantial areas designated by the Republic of Ireland prior to 1977 cut across areas which would fall to the United Kingdom on a delimitation of the continental shelf by means of the median line. Her Majesty's Government have protested against all such encroachments.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when proposals were first made to the Irish Government as to the delimitation of the mutually adjacent continental shelf; what those proposals were; and how the matter is proceeding.
§ Mr. RifkindApproaches were made in 1965 to the Republic of Ireland and other States neighbouring the United Kingdom proposing the delimitation of the contihe ental shelf as between them and the United Kingdom on the basis of the media line. In view of the failure to settle the delimitation with the Republic of Ireland by agreement, negotations are at present in train for its submission to arbitration. As regards the progress of those
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1 January 1980 1 January 1981 1 January 1982 Registered Disabled Registered Disabled as percentage of Staff in Post Registered Disabled Registered Disabled as percentage of Staff in Post Registered Disabled Registered Disabled as percentage of Staff in Post Department of Agriculture 90 1.4 66 1.3 53 1.1 Department of Commerce 9 1.2 12 1.6 14 1.9 Department of the Civil Service 5 0.9 7 0.9 6 0.7 Department of Education 13 2.0 14 2.2 10 1.7 negotiations, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Goole (Dr. Marshall) on 1 July.—[Vol. 26, c. 376.]