Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the team from the Department for the detailed answers. It is helpful for us to navigate through this. I will pick up on an answer that Mr. Woolley gave to Deputy Cian O'Callaghan about changes. One of the submissions to the consultation was from the Environmental Protection Agency. It had some quite strong concerns about the weakness of the existing environmental baseline. There was some uncertainty around measures to provide mitigation for activities that might have negative environmental impacts and also concerns about monitoring or enforcement. Mr. Woolley might address this verbally if possible, or if it is not possible, then write to us at a later stage, and state to what extent he thinks the final draft has addressed those kinds of concerns. I am keen to further interrogate the interaction between the marine plan and the retitled marine area planning Bill.

It would be good to get an update from the Department on when it expects to publish that Bill and bring it back to the House. How do the strategic marine activity zones, SMAZs, in particular, interact with the provisions of the planning framework? I know I sound like a broken record but in the absence of a marine protected area designation, would it not be sensible to insist on sensitivity mapping in advance, and as part, of the ministerial decision on the SMAZ process?

I want to pick up again on Senator Seery Kearney's question on upskilling. There is a big job of work for our planning authorities, both the local authority and the board, if we take it that the marine is ten times the size of our terrestrial landmass. Can the Department give us more information on the plan for training and staff recruitment, particularly in those areas where we expect, for example, significant wind farm projects to be progressed at the early stages? How will all of that be dealt with? Will the Department give us more detail on how this plan will interact with, and the time scales for, both the regional and local plans? It seems some of the details certain coastal communities and inshore fisher associations have are concerned with the implications of this plan for the development of their more local plans.

I have a few more questions which I will put in either this round or the next round, depending on whether I have more time.