asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will indicate the sea area over which he has jurisdiction.

In accordance with international law, Ireland's sovereignty extends beyond its land territory to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea, as well as its bed and subsoil. The outer limits of Ireland's territorial seas, in accordance with section 3 of the Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 1959, is the line every part of which is at a distance of three nautical miles from the nearest point of the baseline. Sovereignty is exercised subject to the rules of international law, which include the right of innocent passage for the ships of all States.

Ireland also enjoys sovereign rights over the Continental Shelf for the purpose of exploring it and exploiting its natural resources. The Continental Shelf comprises the sea-bed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond the territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of the land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin. This means in some areas for Ireland Continental Shelf jurisdiction out as far as 350 nautical miles. The rights of the State to explore and exploit the Continental Shelf are vested in the Minister for Industry and Energy by virtue of section 2 of the Continental Shelf Act, 1968. These rights do not affect the legal status of the superjacent waters, or of the air space above the waters and the exercise of the rights must not infringe navigation or other rights of other States. The Government have by various orders made under this Act designated the areas within which these rights are exercisable.

With effect from 1 January 1977, Ireland's exclusive fishery limits were extended in the line with those of other EEC countries to 200 nautical miles from the nearest point of the baseline.

The Minister did not define the exact limitations of the Continental Shelf to which he referred in his reply. However, he told the House that we have jurisdiction over the Continental Shelf, rights of exploration——

That is correct.

——and rights to the seabed and so on.

That is correct.