S.I. No. 216/1978:

MERCHANT SHIPPING (LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES) (AMENDMENT) RULES, 1978.

MERCHANT SHIPPING (LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES) (AMENDMENT) RULES, 1978.

I, PÁDRAIG FAULKNER, Minister for Tourism and Transport, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 427 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894 (as amended by section 11 of the Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Act, 1952 (No. 29 of 1952), and section 10 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1966 (No. 20 of 1966), the Transport, Fuel and Power (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order, 1959 ( S.I. No. 125 of 1959 ), and the Transport and Power (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 1977 ( S.I. No. 305 of 1977 )), hereby make the following rules :

1. (1) These Rules may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) (Amendment) Rules, 1978.

(2) The Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) Rules, 1967 and 1972, and these Rules may be cited together as the Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) Rules, 1967 to 1978.

2. The Interpretation Act, 1937 (No. 38 of 1937), applies to these Rules.

3. Part I of the Ninth Schedule to the Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) Rules, 1967 ( S.I. No. 100 of 1967 ), is hereby amended by the addition of the following paragraph :

" (4) ( a ) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Part of this Schedule, any liferaft whose floor or inflatable chambers is or are made of rubber-proofed cotton shall be regarded as not complying with the requirements of this Part of this Schedule.

( b ) Subparagraph (a) of this paragraph shall come into force on the 1st day of January 1979, as regards liferafts made before the 1st day of January, 1966, and on the 1st day of July, 1979 as regards any other liferafts."

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 24th day of July, 1978.

PÁDRAIG FAULKNER,

Minister for Tourism and Transport.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Rules further amend the Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) Rules 1967 by providing that liferafts, whose floors or inflatable chambers are made of rubber-proofed cotton, shall be phased out in two stages and, after 1st July 1979, shall be regarded as not complying with the requirements of those Rules.