Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

Some may ask why a Senator from an urban area without a foreshore is speaking on this legislation. As the Fine Gael Party spokesperson on the environment, I am pleased to speak on an issue with which I am familiar having been brought up near the seashore in Clifden. When I was a child my father sold everything that moved and grew in the sea to France. I am familiar with everything that grows offshore and on the seashore and everything that is produced from the sea.

Given that Ireland has 1,448 km of foreshore, excluding inlets, overall management of our seas and foreshore is extremely important for sustainable economic development and the environment. The Bill brings clarity to the 2009 legislation which transferred some functions from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. This legislation will simplify what was a complex issue and avoid confusion. This is a welcome development for everyone involved in the maritime industry.

I welcome the proposal to link the planning and foreshore licensing processes. Something was amiss in this respect as applications for foreshore licences sometimes focused entirely on economic development and overlooked the planning, sustainable development and environmental aspects of such developments. This is a welcome provision. When will this linkage be established? Clarity is one thing but it is important that this provision on planning is enacted.

The Minister referred to the core functions that were transferred in 2009 to the then Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. These included all energy related developments on the foreshore - oil, gas, wind, wave and tidal energy - and aggregate and mineral extraction developments. The use of an energy development process known as fracking is a relatively recent development. While it is used in the United States and elsewhere, it has not yet been used here and little research is available on it. Senator Susan O'Keeffe noted that offshore licences for wind energy were not granted to some companies in the United States. While we must be proactive in ensuring we have alternative sources of energy, we must also ensure we have access to all the latest research on extracting processes, whether onshore or offshore, including their environmental impacts. I ask the Minister to brief the House on research on the process of fracking to extract energy sources.

I thank the Minister for coming before the House. Jobs are needed in our coastal communities. The economic benefits of aquaculture are not spoken about sufficiently. We should appreciate the work done on the coastline and its environmental aspects.