Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 June 2023
285. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions he has taken during this Government's term to introduce a fit-for-purpose functioning aquaculture licensing system in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26875/23]
View answer286. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the cost of implementing all of the recommendations of the Aquaculture Independent Licensing review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26876/23]
View answer287. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has a plan to consolidate all current aquaculture legislation on the statute books into a single Bill that will allow for the aquaculture industry to sustainably develop in the years ahead; if he will provide any cost that would be required to carry out this piece of work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26877/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 285 to 287, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will appreciate the aquaculture licensing process is complex.
My Department considers all applications for aquaculture licences in accordance with the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act, the 1933 Foreshore Act (as amended) and applicable national and EU legislation. There are several statutory timeframes set out in the legislation in respect of aquaculture licensing as the process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisers as well as various Statutory Consultees. The legislation also provides for a period of public consultation. In addition, the legislation governing aquaculture licensing provides for an independent appeals mechanism. Foreshore licenses may also be appealed by way of Judicial Review. Any proposed changes to the current legislation will require Government approval for inclusion on the Legislative Programme.
The Independent Aquaculture Licensing Review Group carried out a detailed examination of the existing aquaculture licensing process, undertook comprehensive stakeholder consultation and examined 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. The implementation of the recommendations is one of the commitments in the Programme for Government. The recommendation to eliminate the backlog as a priority has been delivered in relation to shellfish and priority work is ongoing to address outstanding renewal applications in finfish aquaculture. Following the completion of the drafting of the appropriate environmental assessments, it is anticipated to bring a number of finfish applications to public and statutory consultation shortly.
Last year I delivered another of the Review's recommendations when I launched Phase I of the new state of the art Aquaculture Information Management System (AQUAMIS). The online viewer was developed in collaboration with the Marine Institute and is the first step in digitising the aquaculture licensing application process. This online aquaculture viewer allows members of the public to freely access and view licensed aquaculture sites and mapping information through a public portal. Phase II of the project is currently being developed and will result in a one stop shop for the aquaculture licence application process, enhance the sharing of information and reduce the administrative burden. This is being delivered as part of the ongoing development of IT services for the Fisheries and Aquaculture sector.
It is not possible to provide an isolated costing for the delivery of the Review recommendations to date as the staff involved also work across all aspects of the Aquaculture and Foreshore licensing process in my Department.
My Department is continually monitoring all of its services, including the licensing of aquaculture activities to ensure we provide an efficient service to all our customers while ensuring our environmental and legal obligations are being adhered to.
