Vol. 516 No. 4
18 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources when a final decision will be made on the proposed Loran C navigation mast at Loop Head, County Clare; the progress, if any, made with regard to the promised consultation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8197/00]
As I indicated in my reply to an identical question on 10 February, a range of issues is involved in this very complex and sensitive matter. On the one hand there is the existence of a binding international commitment on the part of the State, issues to do with safety of marine navigation in our general area and whether we should or could depend in future on GPS, a radio-navigation system operated and maintained by the US. On the other hand there are the understandable concerns of the local communities in the area of the planned site, about the impact on them of the proposed station. I indicated on that occasion that it would take some time to brief myself adequately on the totality of these issues and that I could not give a time frame for when decisions might be made.
I have now largely completed my review of the issues and I hope shortly to be in a position to put proposals to the Government on a framework within which full consideration of all alternative options and discussions with our international partners may be carried forward in a productive fashion.
Will the Minister give an indication of the approximate time scale involved? Will it be before the end of the year or the middle of the year? What time schedule is envisaged in view of the anxiety and concerns of the people in the area?
It is difficult to give a time scale This matter has gone on for too long but, on the one hand, we were faced with the issue of the safety of shipping and, on the other, the concerns of local people. We tried to find out if there were alternatives because we must be concerned about the safety of shipping. Irish Lights and all those involved in providing lights around the coast have done a wonderful job and Irish Lights would not want to impose anything which would cause environmental concerns. We are close to completing the review and I hope to be in a position in the next few months to make suggestions to the Government about what should be done.
I presume the consultation process is complete because it went on for a considerable amount of time. If the Loran C navigation equipment is not put in place, is the State likely to be sued for contravening the binding international agreement?
That issue is under discussion. We do not want to be surcharged or sued. My view is that if alternative systems can be identified in the consultations, our international partners will be happy. However, the alternatives must provide the same mechanism for sea safety as the Loran C mast would have done.
Loran C was regarded as a de luxe system. How can the Minister be sure that an alternative system can be found?
It will be difficult to find a system that would be as sophisticated as the Loran C because, as the Deputy said, it is the king of all systems. We must try to balance the issue of safety at sea with the concerns of local communities. I do not want to give the impression that Loran C has been done away with because discussions and consultations on the matter have not yet been finalised. Ultimately, I hope that our international partners will be happy, that the shipping industry will be safe and that local communities will feel their concerns have been adequately addressed.
