Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Many of my questions have been dealt with in the previous contributions. I would be interested to see the implementation plan when the Department publishes it. It would go a long way towards setting the process in train for us.

This whole process arises from the European Court of Justice recommendation. Dr. Beamish had told us that the intention in Europe was that this system would be rolled out across the rest of Europe. How close is it to being rolled out across the rest of the European Union so that everyone will be on a level playing field in future?

The public has a role in deciding the application process. It has not been mentioned much in Dr. Beamish's presentation. I think there was one sentence out of four or five pages, which is a retrograde step. The Department is the licensing authority. It has responsibility to the public and to the people applying for licences. Therefore it should take on board the views of all and ensure that everybody is taken care of. Obviously, people involved in aquaculture licensing or in any sector do not like to see the public being involved because they see it as a difficulty that has to be dealt with. They do not like to see the licensing people doing that. It states that a common theme in the submissions received during the public consultation process was inadequate public notification of applications. It is there and it is vital. It is very important that the public has faith in the process as well as the industry having faith in the process. I do not think the two are mutually exclusive. I think they actually work together. By having both sides fully on board with the process, at least we can know that the process can stand up. I would be concerned that the public consultation is seen as a nuisance rather than being a vital part of the process.

I probably know the answer to this and it may also be contained in the document. Increasing the licensing period from ten years to 20 years probably makes sense. Will Dr. Beamish outline his views on it?

I presume the aquaculture appeals process is separate from the procedure outlined here and that is probably why it is not covered in it. Will there be a similar process for that or will it also be a streamlined process? Will Dr. Beamish outline his views on that?

On the timeline for implementation of all the report's recommendations, the legislation seems to be long-fingered. Will Dr. Beamish expand on that? The focus is probably rightly on clearing the backlog of outstanding decisions. What about the legislative measures? The report recommends that the two happen in tandem and that work should start straight away on that. Has that happened? If not, when will it happen?

Has the environmental impact assessment directive been taken into account? I know it came in after the final report was drawn up. Has that been taken into account? It will probably have an impact on the licensing process in the future. This has to be a dynamic process to keep track of how the EU legislation is changing.

Deputy McConalogue asked about the Lough Foyle licensing. I know Dr. Beamish said the foreshore is caught up there. What is happening to the produce of Louth Foyle? I accept the licensing cannot happen, but production is taking place there and I presume the product is going somewhere. What role does the Department have in the produce from Lough Foyle?