Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

Thank you. This is my first opportunity to speak in this Chamber either as a Deputy or as a Minister. It is an honour to do that.

The Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2011 now brought forward will transfer all foreshore functions under the Foreshore Acts 1933 to 2009 to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with the exception of the following: designated fishery harbour centres; activities which are wholly or primarily for the use, development or support of aquaculture; and activities which are wholly or primarily for the use, development or support of sea-fishing, including the processing and sale of sea-fish and manufacture of products derived from sea-fish.

The Foreshore Acts 1933 to 2009 require that a lease or licence must be obtained from the relevant Minister prior to undertaking any works and placing any structures or materials in or on, or for the application of, or removal of material from, State-owned foreshore.

The foreshore consists of the land from the high water mark to the 12 nautical mile limit and is 39,000 sq. km. in size. In recent years, the size, scale and complexity of projects developed on the foreshore has changed considerably. At one time foreshore consents covered primarily small piers and jetties. Many members are from constituencies that are familiar with that. However, in recent years, applications received concern major State and private sector infrastructure projects, such as municipal waste water treatment plants, large commercial harbour developments, gas pipelines and large-scale offshore wind, wave arid tidal energy projects.

In order to deal with this increasing scale and complexity, it is vital that the development of these large projects accord with the development plans for the functional areas of the local authorities to which they are contiguous. Both land-based and offshore developments in the coastal zone impact each other in very significant ways-----