Colm Burke (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House. It is extremely important that clarity is provided. As someone who served on the board of the Port of Cork for ten years and who dealt with a number of issues regarding foreshore licences, we found at times there were delays because of the procedures that were in place. It is important that applications are dealt with in a speedy fashion. I am concerned about the lack of a specific timeframe in which to deal with applications. We need to examine this because if there is no timeframe in which a specific decision must be made a matter can drag on for a long period of time. A previous speaker referred to this. The issue of foreshore licences will continue to grow. Therefore, it is important that proper procedures are in place and the clear definition being introduced in the legislation is welcome.

One of the problems with aquaculture is the interpretation by Departments of EU regulations, and there is fault on all sides from the EU to local authorities to national government. I dealt with an issue in Cromane, County Kerry, where the mussel harvesting process was delayed because EU regulations were in place but the necessary preparatory work to allow it to continue was not done. The process was closed down because it was not compliant with EU regulations even though the EU regulations were in place. More than €5 million in EU funding had been provided for basic research to be carried out in Cromane and other places but the information was not made available and the work was not done. I understand some of the funding ended up being returned to Brussels. We need to ensure we respond to EU regulations on aquaculture and set targets. I know it is not possible for Departments to respond on the day they receive regulations but clear targets should be established on the timeline for those regulations to be implemented and complied with to ensure there is follow-through at local and national level.

As someone who sat on the board of the Port of Cork, I remember wondering which Department we were to deal with on certain issues. The Bill is welcome as it will provide clarity and people will know which Department has responsibility for a particular area. One will not wait for a reply from one Department to be told one should be dealing with another. I look forward to working with the Minister on aquaculture development. It has major job potential and many people are very enthusiastic about getting involved but they need the necessary support.