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

Tá díomá orm leis an údarás gur láimhseáladh an cheist seo mar a láimhseáleadh í Ba mhaith liom a fháil amach ón údarás cad é an chéad uair ar thuig sé go raibh ceadúnas ag teastáil le feamainn a bhaint. Má thuig sé é sin, cén fáth nár tháinig an cheist seo chun cinn i bhfad roimhe seo? Caithfimid cuimhniú go bhfuil an t-údarás ann ar mhaithe le pobal na Gaeltachta agus lucht labhartha na Gaeilge sa nGaeltacht. Tá an ceart ag Jim Keogh nuair a deireann sé nuair a bhí mise mar mar Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta, gur aistrigh muid na scaireanna ó Roinn na mara go dtí an Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta, agus gur aistríodh ar aghaidh ansin iad go dtí an t-údarás.

An fáth a bhí agam le sin ná nár chreid mé go raibh aon fhorbairt á dhéanamh ag na Rannaí Stáit ar an gcomhlacht, go mór mhór i Roinn na mara. Chreid mé gur comhlacht nach raibh ag forbairt a bhí ann agus nach raibh an pobal ag fáil an rath as an gcomhlacht a bhféadfaí a fháil. Bhí mé tar éis a fheiceáil thuas i nDúiche Sheoigheach, le muileann adhmad ECC Teoranta, nuair a bhí infheistíocht déanta, go bhféadfaí fostaíocht a chruthú agus jabanna a chur ar fáil. Aontaím, mar sin, leis an mbunphrionsabal go mba ceart infheisteoir a thabhairt isteach, infheisteoir le saineolas a bheadh sásta infheistíocht a dhéanamh i dteicneolaíocht agus an obair a dhéanamh. Níl fadhb agam leis an gcuid sin den phlean, mar ní dóigh liom dá bhfanfadh sé i lámha Rannaí Stáit go ndéanfaí an obair sin. Chonaic muid arís i nDúiche Sheoigheach, leis an muileann admhad a bhí ag Coillte Teoranta, gur dhún sé - le 11 duine fostaithe. Tá ECC Teoranta ann anois agus tá 100 duine fostaithe sa mhuileann agus 100 nó níos mó fostaithe timpeall ar an mhuileann.

Is dóigh liom go bhfuil formhór na ndaoine anseo, go mór mhór na daoine atá ionadaíoch do Chonamara, i bhfábhar forbartha a dhéanamh ar an tionscal seo. Ní dóigh go bhfuil fadhb ar bith ag an bhformhór leis an gcoincheap seo. Ach nuair a deintear forbairt, caithfear a dhéanamh amach cé dhó atá an fhorbairt le bheith déanta agus cé a bhainfidh an buntáiste as. Caithfidh an té atá ag déanamh infheistíochta buntáiste a dhéanamh as. Ach, sa gcás áirithe seo, tá dualgas reachtúil ar an údarás a dhéanamh cinnte gur é pobal na Gaeltachta a gheobhaidh tairbhe as freisin.

Is anseo an áit nach dtuigim an cur chuige a bhí ag Arramara Teoranta nuair ba leis an údarás é. Tuigim go teicniúil gur é Arramara a chur isteach ar an gceadúnas, ach de réir mar a thuigim roimh an dáta ar dhíol sé an comhlacht. Ag an am sin, bhí úinéireacht iomlán ag an údarás ar an gcomhlacht agus, mar sin, bhí an bord freagrach don údarás as na mór cinntí a rinne sé. Mar sin, ní thuigim cén fáth gur láimhseáileadh é ar an mbealach a láimseáileadh é.

Ar an gcéad dul síos, ní raibh an comhlacht oscailte leis an bpobal. Ní thuigim cén fáth nach ndeachaigh an t-údarás amach chuig an bpobal le mhíniú do chuile duine go raibh ceadúnais ag teastáil le feamainn a bhaint. Cén fáth nár pléadh an cheist seo go hoscailte le chuile duine agus na hionadaithe poiblí ina measc? Cén fáth nár míníodh nach raibh an dlí á chomhlíonadh ag éinne agus go gcaithfidís é a dhéanamh ar an gcaoi ceart amach anseo, mar muna ndéanann muid é seo i gceart agus muna mbeidh ceadúnais ann, tiocfaidh an Eoraip agus cuirfidh sé ina luí orainn go gcaithfimid smacht a choinneáil ar seo ar mhaithe leis an gcomhshaol.

Céard a tharla? Chuir Arramara iarratas isteach le haghaidh ceadúnas agus fios aige go raibh an monarcha le díol. Ansin fuair an pobal amach go raibh ceadúnas iarrtha. Céard é an t-imní atá ar dhaoine faoi seo? Tá dhá cheist mór anseo agus tá dhá ghrúpa ann. Tá dream gur mb'fhéidir gur leo cuid den fheamainn agus tá an dream a bhíodh ag baint na feamainne. Shíl an dream a bhíodh ag baint go mba leo í, ach is léir anois i go leor cásanna nárbh leo í. Maidir leis an dream ar leo í, tá sampla de folio anseo agam a deireann there is an appurtenant to the property, a right of cutting, gathering and removing seaweed on and from the shore, the foreshore of such and such islands, coloured brown on the registry map and on or from the foreshore of [name of a place in Connemara] coloured yellow and marked 10A on the Land Registry map.

Ceist a haon ná nach mbeadh sé ciallmhar, sula dtosaíonn muid ag plé na ceiste seo agus sula dtosaíonn daoine ag cur isteach iarratais ar cheadúnais, fiosrú a dhéanamh den údarás chlárúchán talúna cé mhéid den chladach cheana féin gur le daoine aonaránach é agus go bhuil an t-eolas sin ina gcuid folios? Ceann de na rudaí ar cheart teacht as an gcruinniú seo inniu ná go bhfiafrófaí d'údarás éigin, sula dtabharfar amach aon cheadúnas breise, céard is leis an bpobal, céard is leis an Stát agus céard is le daoine aonaránach. Feictear dom go bhfuil se an aisteach ag an Stát a bheith ag braith ar cheadúnais a thabhairt amach agus gan fios ag éinne go deimhneach cé is leis céard.

Maidir leis an dara cheist, ba mhaith liom míniú a fháil ó Arramara, ba leis an t-údarás é sular díoladh é, cén fáth nár chuir lucht bainte na feamainne isteach ainmnithe ar an gceadúnas? Cén fáth nach raibh comh-iarratas déanta ar an gceadúnas idir an monarcha agus iad? Má chreid Arramara go mba ceart don mhonarcha an ceadúnas a bheith aige, cén fáth nach comh-iarratas a bhí ann le lucht bainte na feamainne luaite agus ainmnithe air?

I believe we should not be where we are. I believe this issue should have been resolved before Acadian Seaplants Limited came in. I am not aware of when the údarás and Arramara became aware that there was a legal requirement to have a licence to harvest seaweed. When I submitted parliamentary questions on this issue, I found people had been looking for licences for some time back. It seems strange to me that people did not realise licences were required. Licences were issued as far back as 1966 and it is amazing that all those people who applied since then knew licences were required, but the main processor did not. That is the question. I am disappointed also that there was not open consultation by the factory and that a joint application was not made. Another issue concerns the number of issues affecting Acadian Seaplants Limited, possibly unwittingly on its part.

The fear is simple and real. People from the Gaeltacht have been harvesting seaweed for years. This is one of the industries that has been dominated by Irish speakers from the Gaeltacht. If, in two or three years time, it is decided they are looking for too much money to cut the seaweed, what is to stop Acadian Seaplants Limited from, as has happened all around these islands, importing cheaper labour and displacing the people we can protect now, by not giving out the licence of the State, in their right to continue to harvest that seaweed? It is quite simple. Verbal promises do not count. Possession is nine tenths of the law. Unfortunately for the harvesters, they did not realise they needed a licence. What I want is what we wanted when we transferred the factory to the údarás, which was a democratically elected authority of the people elected to protect their interests, that this industry be grown for the Irish speakers in the Gaeltacht. That is what the mandate is.

There has been a lot of beating about the bush here. There is an interesting dilemma in regard to the people with a legal ownership right. The State should find out quickly who owns what. Having decided on that and on what is owned by the State, I will be unhappy if a licence is issued that does not legally protect the local interest in terms of harvesting. I would be a lot happier if there were some legal protection. That could easily have been done by making a joint application and listing all the people with an interest in the contract for the three years.

This would have protected the seaweed and ensured there was genuine partnership.

There is another technical issue. When Arramara applied for the licence - I have not seen the application because the public consultation date has not been published yet - it said it was for specific areas and only covers approximately 20% of the foreshore. I accept that, because significant parts of the foreshore would not have any exploitable seaweed. Is Arramara looking for an exclusive right to harvest whatever seaweed is on the sections for which it sought a licence? I understood it was yellow seaweed or feamainn bhuí it was interested in, but much of what has been said here today suggests we cannot have two or three people harvesting the same areas, even if they are harvesting different species.

Is Arramara saying that even though it may only exploit one type of seaweed in a given area, it is opposed to any other licences being issued for other types of seaweed growing in that area, because this would give rise to management issues, as mentioned earlier? I am very interested in hearing the technical explanation for this. If Arramara gets a licence for a particular species, does it expect no other licences will be issued for those patches?