Mr. Tom Woolley:

I thank the Deputy for the question. A number of areas of the plan deal with this, chiefly the biodiversity and protected marine areas parts. There is mapping of species, habitats and designated areas. One would have to look at the specific purposes of particular designated sites to understand exactly whether it is designated for a particular bird species or habitat type. Each type of designation is focused on a particular thing. We have provided the information on especially important species, including cetaceans, which are whales and dolphins. We have provided the same for habitats. We have drawn on the most up-to-date data, working with other parts of government to make sure we have included that in the plan so people can get a snapshot of what is there. As the Deputy will appreciate from this discussion, that is quite a detailed area in its own right.

It is hard, at a national scale, to say at a detailed level where all the habitats are. They blend at the edges and overlap in places. We have done our best in the published map the committee has seen in the document to provide a broad pointer to the sort of data that are available and to provide information on the coastal habitats around Ireland, which are many and varied. We have only included a sample of those habitat types because there are so many levels of information that could be included. We have been sure to include links to the relevant detailed documents so that people can find the most up-to-date information available, from whatever source that might be.

As Ms Fitzpatrick has pointed out, with the digital tool we will be able to include more along those lines over time because we will not be constrained by the printed format and the national scale we are trying to articulate in the plan. We will be able to include the full gamut of information available on habitats because it will be possible to zoom in and look at that in the proper resolution available. We have a good opportunity with the digital tool to expand on the resolution of data available.

As information, on whales for example, grows and becomes available, we will seek to include that as and where possible.