Mr. Matthew Collins:

No, all our activities and decisions are compliant with our obligations under European legislation and the environmental impact assessment, as well as the birds and habitats directives.

I do not want to speak for the Marine Institute, but I am not aware of them having taken a view on that single study from Australia. My understanding is that the broader scientific community would, at most, say that it requires further research.

The Department has supported and invested in one of the major habitats and ecological studies undertaken, the ObSERVE programme. It is to provide a baseline and satisfy ourselves that any impacts on habitats and birds, dolphins in particular, are mitigated and that we can control it. The ObSERVE study is one of the largest programmes of its kind globally. It is world class. The other bodies involved, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, it will provide a base for ecological data for researchers for many years to come. It is important work in providing robust baseline ecological habitats data for environmental assessments.