Dr. Simon Berrow:

I am also a lecturer in GMIT so I am very much aware of the research capacity and potential we have. There is no doubt that we are lagging way behind. We have some good initiatives in our third-level institutions but there is not enough there and not enough people working on them. There are so many questions we could answer but we are not doing so. It takes a few years. If a PhD student is on a project, it will take three or four years to get answers on management issues or how to enhance biodiversity. We need to start this now because my fear is that planning applications will drop on people's desks for offshore wind farms along the east coast very soon, if not this year. How are we going to evaluate them, and how do we then build in more progressive enhancement projects, if we are playing catch-up? There is no doubt that offshore wind is driving the whole process in Ireland with our policy initiatives but the Government needs to take the lead, perhaps through guidance and showing people how it wants them to do things.

I agree with the Senator about building capacity in our coastal communities to support those wind farms jobs, as well as research and monitoring. It all goes hand in hand. That is important. I have forgotten her other question.