Mr. Conor McCabe:

There were a lot of questions there and we will try to work through them. I will take the questions on marine protected areas and on fishing and aquaculture. My colleague, Mr. Tom Woolley, will take the question on Article 8.1 and compliance, and Mr. Bernard Nolan will take the question on the consent process.

In terms of progress made with marine protected areas, it is not an area of my responsibility but my Department has responsibility for it. As the Deputy has rightly said, a report has been submitted to my Minister by an expert group chaired by Dr. Tasman Crowe. He is considering the report with a view to publishing it for public consultation in the short term, that is, within the next couple of months, I gather. On the back of that public consultation, the expectation is that legislation will follow in 2021.

In terms of fishing and aquaculture, fishing is a European competence so it would not be appropriate to put it into this regime. There is potential for aquaculture to come into this regime at a later date but that is a matter for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The regime, as we have tried to construct it, is not just geared towards offshore wind, telecommunication cables, etc. It is geared so that any marine activity could come under this regime, which was very much at the forefront of our minds when we constructed it so aquaculture could well come in, in the foreseeable future.