Vol. 542 No. 2
174 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if an environmental impact statement has been produced for any seawater salmonid breeding installation in Mulroy Bay, County Donegal; if so, when it was published; if an EIS has been produced as required by the Aquaculture (Licence Application) Regulations, 1998; if so, when it was published; and the procedures in place for the public to view these documents. [24258/01]
In accordance with the Aquaculture (Licence Application) Regulations, 1998, notice was published on 26 November 1999 in the Derry People and Donegal News of the environmental impact statement – EIS – produced by the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Scotland, on behalf of Hydro Seafood Fanad to accompany an application for an aquaculture licence to cultivate salmon at Glinsk in Mulroy Bay. Both the completed application and EIS were made available for public inspection at Milford and Kerrykeel Garda stations for a period of four weeks from the publication date. Individual copies of the EIS could also be purchased directly from the applicant within the same timeframe.
The statutory consultation process allows the public four weeks from the publication date in which to make written submissions or observations to my Department. In addition, the statutorily prescribed bodies, namely, the Northern Regional Fisheries Board, the Central Fisheries Board, Dúchas, Bord Fáilte, Donegal County Council, An Taisce, Údarás na Gaeltachta, the Commissioners of Irish Lights, the Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara, were each sent a copy of the application and EIS and allowed a period of six weeks in which to make written submissions or observations to my Department. All written submissions and observations were carefully examined by my Department's experts when assessing the application prior to a recommendation being made for a ministerial decision to grant a licence.
