Does the Taoiseach stand over his claim that he does not favour opening up the Irish box to more Spanish and other non-Irish EU trawlers? He does not appear to understand that an oil spill, such as the one off the coast of Portugal as a result of which 21 million tonnes of oil is likely to spill and affect our coast as well as many other European coasts, would do far more damage to this country than any amount of trawlers in the Irish box.

Apart from the Estimates meltdown, which provides that coastal protection will be down 72% and even humanitarian flood relief will be decreased from €8.5 million to a mere €59,000, does the Taoiseach recognise that in a typical year there are 20 marine accidents in Irish waters? A report in the Department of the Communications, Marine and Natural Resources states that we urgently need to buy an emergency towing vessel to cope with the likelihood of such an oil spill. We need a GPS type marine safety information system and the designation of coasts off the west and the North as high risk areas from which such vessels should be kept. Is the Taoiseach prepared to give attention to our maritime environment in the light of this timely warning from the Prestige tanker which has foundered and is discharging oil? When will he respond to and act on the recommendations of the Irish emergency towing vessels study which is now more urgent than ever given the probability of damage to our shores even from an oil spill from as far away as Portugal?

As I said earlier during Question Time, we oppose the opening up of the Irish box because these waters are sensitive. They play an important part in nurturing stock levels in a wide area far beyond this country. Our fishing industry is critically dependent on the stocks in the Irish box and it has a key interest in their sustainability. If there was to be open access to the Irish box, that would run counter to the desire of the Commission to conserve fish stocks. Those are the reasons we oppose the opening up of the Irish box and we will continue to do so. The Deputy is aware that since Spain's accession to the EU in 1986 a key issue for Ireland has been how to protect our fishery zone in the context of the Spanish fishing fleet. It is the largest in the European Union. We have argued our position at the meeting I mentioned earlier and we will do so at the meeting on the Common Fisheries Policy next week.

With regard to the tanker accident off the coast of Spain, the EU Commission is co-ordinating and providing information on the accident. The latest news is that the tanker was hauled off the north coast of Spain. It is still unclear what caused the accident. The tanker did not hit rocks. The oil spill is estimated to be 5,000 tonnes which has affected about 20 miles of coastline. The tanker is currently being towed to deeper waters and efforts are being made to remove oil about hundred miles off the coast of Spain in 3,000 to 4,000 metres of water. Spain has called for international assistance and a number of European countries with specialised oil recovery vessels are providing such assistance. The coastguard here is monitoring the position. The tanker broke up this morning and sank. Reports suggest that little oil has been taken off it and the prevailing winds suggest that the oil will pollute Spanish and Portuguese coastlines. We cannot be sure what will happen and I appreciate there are concerns. Regrettably, the oil spill is a major problem for those two countries, but I hope it will not be a major problem for us. The oil in question is heavy oil. It floats below the surface, which is making it more difficult for the authorities monitoring and reporting the oil spill to clarify the position.

The other questions Deputy Sargent asked could be dealt with by way of parliamentary questions. I am aware of the difficulties and problems he raised about navigational issues. If he tables parliamentary questions on them to the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Dermot Ahern will answer them.