Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 September 2020
283. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline and method by which he plans to implement the recommendations of the Independent Aquaculture Licensing Review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27616/20]
View answerThe Independent Review of Aquaculture Licensing was commissioned in 2016 and the Report of the Group and was submitted to my Department in May 2017.
The Review Group carried out a detailed examination of the existing aquaculture licensing process, undertook comprehensive stakeholder consultation and looked at comparative national and international consent systems to determine best practice for managing a complex licensing process in a transparent, environmentally appropriate and legally robust manner.
Since receiving the report of the review group, my Department has engaged in detailed consideration of the recommendations set out in the report with a view to their implementation, having regard to the legislative, environmental, technical and public interest issues that arise. My Department has also engaged closely with industry representatives and relevant State agencies.
As all industry stakeholders and the EU Commission have, for different reasons, identified the elimination of the licensing backlog as the overriding priority in the reform of the licensing system, my Department’s response to date has focused on this issue while continuing to have regard to the other recommendations in the report.
I can confirm that the aquaculture licensing backlog in respect of shellfish aquaculture has now effectively been eliminated as an issue affecting the industry. In the case of finfish, my Department has taken concrete steps to address the backlog in finfish licensing applications and these measures have intensified significantly in 2020.
