Departmental Reports

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 October 2017

Wednesday, 4 October 2017

Questions (165)

Clare Daly

Question:

165. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the refusal of his Department to provide the Aquaculture Licensing Appeals Board with the accident reports produced by the Marine Institute in relation to the catastrophic results of the storm events of 1 February 2014 on a salmon farm (details supplied) without an assurance from the appeals board that the reports would be kept confidential and were drafts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42011/17]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

In July 2017, the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board, ALAB, requested a copy of a draft report concerning the incident referred to by the Deputy pursuant to Section 47(1)(a) of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act.

The Board subsequently withdrew its request following confirmation by my Department that the Report in its entirety remained in draft form.

As the request from ALAB was made in the context of the Board’s consideration of an appeal against a decision to approve an aquaculture licence application for the cultivation of finfish at a site at Shot Head in Bantry Bay, and as the Board’s consideration of this appeal remains ongoing, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this time.