Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I asked why there is a policy to go for huge farms. If this were so lucrative it is curious that the existing farms have not been growing in the past ten years. There are a number of existing fin fish farms, including one owned by a very large company off Clare Island. If all this were so lucrative and positive I would have thought that the Clare Island operation would have expanded. However, I have heard of no expansion in Clare Island. I have not heard of any major expansion by the operators off the coast of Connemara. I am not talking about the BIM proposal that is before the Department. I understand that the BIM policy at a wider level under the direction of the Department is to go for major developments rather than locally-owned and controlled developments. What is the thinking behind this policy approach? It has nothing to do with a specific application. I am critical enough about the tainting of that already. I believe the Minister is in no position to make a decision on this because fundamentally he is a judge in his own court in that. While I understand Dr. Beamish's caution here today, unfortunately that one was tainted before it started.