Mr. Justin Moran:

Any of the projects we are developing will need to go through an environmental impact assessment process to identify whether they will have impacts on the local environment and, if so, the efforts that can be made to minimise or mitigate those impacts. We are really conscious of the responsibility we have to do that effectively and in such a way that we can be held to account by the planning authorities.

One of the areas in which it would be great to see some additional support or investment is in terms of ensuring that other actors in the environmental space are able to participate in the process. The National Parks and Wildlife Service, for example, is drastically underfunded. It really needs to have the resources available to look not just at onshore wind farm development but also at offshore development in the years to come. The same can be said of An Bord Pleanála. We are going to see the development of offshore wind farms, including those the Deputy mentioned, and we will need to ensure they are adequately resourced. We must ensure not only that the planning process is carried out in a responsible, transparent and accountable way but that it is seen by the communities involved to be carried out in that way and that they are able to participate in the process.

Regarding the national marine planning framework, I am not sure what the Dáil schedule is for discussing it this week. I see it as a document that is critical to the development of renewable energy and putting in place an effective planning framework. There has been quite a long consultation on the national planning framework. I understand the Government extended the consultation period to give people an opportunity to have an input into the proposals. We need to ensure the document is properly scrutinised. Whether that is done by allocating time for debate in the Oireachtas is a decision for members of the committee and the people who are responsible for scheduling. It is really important to ensure that what we put in place is robust, will last five, ten or 15 years, and will provide a system that enables us to develop the offshore renewable energy production which, as the Deputy mentioned, is absolutely critical. It must do so in a way that enables communities to participate in that process, both through the framework system and through submissions, which many communities have made, and also in respect of decisions on individual projects.

Mapping offshore wind farms can be quite a challenge. At this point, many of those involved in the projects are simply carrying out surveys of specific locations on the seabed. They might be carrying out a survey on a much wider space than they plan to use for the development of the wind farm infrastructure. We need to find ways of getting that information collated better and making it more available and transparent. If there is something we can do to work with the relevant authorities to achieve that, we would be very happy to take it on board.