Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In regard to an issue which I am sure is an issue in Cork as well as elsewhere, that of foreshore licensing and trying to streamline it into a proper planning process, what level of importance has the port placed on that issue? Has it engaged with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the statutory agencies with a view to streamlining it? From my limited knowledge of foreshore licensing, it has not changed much in the past century. Whether one wants to put a buoy in a river on which to tie a dingy, or an oil platform in an estuary, it takes the same level of precedence by the Department regardless of the scale of activity and the impact on the economy. It is clear from speaking to ports around the country that the way it is being implemented is ludicrous. I would like to hear Mr. Mullins's thoughts on the issue?