No. 76/1930:

THE PUBLIC HEALTH (DERATISATION OF SHIPS) REGULATIONS, 1930.

THE PUBLIC HEALTH (DERATISATION OF SHIPS) REGULATIONS, 1930.

DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH.

The Minister for Local Government and Public Health, in the exercise of the powers vested in him by Section 148 of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878, the Public Health Act, 1896, and the Public Health Act, 1904, and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, after consultation with the Minister for Industry and Commerce, hereby makes the following regulations:—

1.—These regulations may be cited as the Public Health (Deratisation of Ships) Regulations, 1930, and shall come into operation on the First day of December, nineteen hundred and thirty.

2.—(1) The Interpretation Act, 1889, applies to the interpretation of these regulations in like manner as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of the Oireachtas passed before the 1st day of January, 1924.

(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires:—

"The Minister" means the Minister for Local Government and Public Health.

"Sanitary Authority" means a port sanitary authority, or the Council of a borough or urban district or a board of health for a county health district which includes or abuts on any part of a Customs port not within the jurisdiction of a port sanitary authority where the medical officer of health appointed by the authority or council or board has been authorised by the Minister to give deratisation certificates or deratisation exemption certificates.

"Approved port" means the district of a sanitary authority the medical officer of health of which has been authorised by the Minister to grant deratisation certificates or deratisation exemption certificates, and in the case of a sanitary authority other than a port sanitary authority includes the waters of the Customs port abutting on any part of their district so far as such waters are not within a port sanitary district.

"Approved foreign port" means a foreign port which has been notified to the Office International d'Hygiène Publique as possessing the equipment and personnel necessary for the deratisation of ships.

"Medical officer of health" means the medical officer of health of a sanitary authority or a registered medical practitioner temporarily acting in that capacity, and except in relation to the signing and issuing of certificates includes any registered medical practitioner duly authorised by a sanitary authority to act on behalf of the medical officer of health in the execution of these regulations.

"Foreign port" means a port or place situate elsewhere than in Saorstát Eireann, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

"Ship" includes a vessel or boat.

"Master" used in relation to a ship includes the officer or other person for the time being in charge of or in command of the ship.

"Deratisation certificate" and "deratisation exemption certificate" means a deratisation certificate and a deratisation exemption certificate issued under these Regulations and in conformity with Article 28 of the International Sanitary Convention of Paris, 1926, and any certificate in conformity with the said Article issued at an approved foreign port.

"Valid certificate" means a certificate issued under these Regulations or at an approved foreign port which has not been current for more than six months, or in the case of a ship proceeding to her home port more than seven months from the date of the last inspection, and includes a deratisation certificate or a deratisation exemption certificate issued at an approved port or an approved foreign port in conformity with Article 28 of the International Sanitary Convention of Paris, 1926, prior to the issue of these Regulations.

3.—(1) On the arrival of a ship from a foreign port at an approved port, whether such approved port is the first port of call in Saorstát Eireann or not, the medical officer of health, or a duly authorised officer of the sanitary authority acting on his behalf, shall require the master to produce a valid deratisation certificate or a valid deratisation exemption certificate.

(2) If no valid deratisation certificate or valid deratisation exemption certificate is produced in respect of any such ship, the medical officer of health shall thereupon take such steps as he may consider necessary to satisfy himself that the ship is maintained in such a condition that the number of rats on board is kept down to the minimum.

If, after the ship has been inspected, the medical officer of health is satisfied that the ship is free from rats or is maintained in such a condition that the number of rats on board is kept down to the minimum he shall sign and issue a deratisation exemption certificate.

If, in the opinion of the medical officer of health, the ship is not maintained in such a condition that the number of rats on board is kept down to the minimum, he shall require the ship to be deratised in such manner as may be specified, or approved, by him, and the master shall forthwith make arrangements for the deratisation of the ship to be carried out to the satisfaction of the medical officer of health.

After the deratisation has been completed to the satisfaction of the medical officer of health he shall sign and issue a deratisation certificate.

4.—On application in writing received from the owner of any ship in an approved port, or from the master of the ship acting for and on behalf of the owner, for a deratisation exemption certificate or a deratisation certificate in respect of the ship, the medical officer of health shall take such steps as he may consider necessary to satisfy himself that the ship is maintained in such a condition that the number of rats on board is kept down to the minimum, or give directions for the deratisation of the ship, as the case may require, and, on being satisfied as to the condition of the ship or that the deratisation of the ship has been properly carried out, he shall issue the appropriate certificate.

5.—For the purpose of these Regulations the medical officer of health or a duly authorised officer of the sanitary authority, acting on his behalf, shall have power to board and inspect any ship which is in an approved port.

6.—(1) All certificates issued under these Regulations shall be in such form as the Minister may from time to time approve.

(2) A copy of every certificate issued in pursuance of these Regulations shall be retained in the office of the sanitary authority, and a copy shall be forwarded to the Minister.

7.—The owner or the master of the ship shall pay to the sanitary authority such fee for the inspection of the ship and for the issue of the certificate as the sanitary authority may, with the approval of the Minister, require.

Given under the Official Seal of the Minister for Local Government and Public Health, this Sixth day of September, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty.

M. DE LASAIGH, Assistant Secretary,

Department of Local Government and Public Health.