Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will quote from the transcript with respect to what Mr. Quinlan said at the last hearing. He said: "The Department cannot - I repeat cannot - depart from what is said in legislation because it is there to protect the public and the individual member of the public who has applied for an aquaculture licence." He clearly said that the Department cannot depart from what is said in legislation. I will frame the question clearly for Mr. Quinlan. Does he understand that with respect to the legislation referring to a location, the actual location must be specified, not the shores of Lough Swilly but the actual location, in this case, Linsfort beach? Would that be his interpretation of the legislation, that an actual location must be stated? It is clearly the interpretation that I would take from it and my reading of it.

Mr. Quinlan referred again, as he did on the previous occasion, to people not appealing. They could not appeal because they did not see the advertisement as it appeared in a newspaper very few people in that area would read, but I will not go back over that ground. If Mr. Quinlan does not want to deal with the specifics of that issue, does he believe generally, in terms of the legislation, that when his Department guides an applicant, that the location should be the actual district electoral division, the actual townland where it is taking place, or the general bay? What is the usual practice in terms of legislation when an application is being submitted? I remind him of what is said in the legislation which is there to protect the public and the individual member of the public who has applied for an aquaculture licence. I asked the question, being mindful of that and having repeated Mr. Quinlan's words that the legislation "is there to protect the public [which is the basis of the issue I am raising] and the individual member of the public who has applied for an aquaculture licence".