Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to welcome the representatives of An Bord Pleanála to the committee. I particularly welcome the idea of a single environmental impact assessment for major projects. There has been huge duplication involving environmental impact assessments, particularly in developing water, sewerage and drainage schemes. Public representatives in coastal counties can find it hard to get even a small sewerage scheme sanctioned because there are so many hoops to jump through.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine seems to have another impact assessment carried out. I am in a constituency without a coastal region but members in this room know that in coastal regions it is very difficult to have that single assessment. Could Ms Kelly explain how that works out?

Ms Kelly said earlier that An Bord Pleanála would be the appropriate consent authority. I presume most of the projects are dealt with by the local authorities. Where does An Bord Pleanála come in on consent? Ms Kelly talked about defining a maritime area. Will this cause further duplication with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine? I presume that is the only other Department that would be involved. It is a complex area when one looks at fishing, aquaculture, ocean energy and tourism as well other developments such as wind energy.

We have major representations, particularly from the midlands, that wind turbines should be out at sea. I do not know Ms Kelly's views on that. Apparently in the midlands, the turbines have to be higher because of the flat terrain. There is a significant issue with energy that An Bord Pleanála is in a good position to deal with if it has a single impact assessment rather than the existing duplication. I do not know if that will work out because there are very strong interests in fisheries, fishing, tourism and aquaculture, and energy is very important. Huge meetings take place of people objecting to turbines, especially their location and distance from houses. There will be more pressure to have those turbines offshore. I support what Ms Kelly says and what is in the Bill but I am concerned about the practicality of it.