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

I move amendment No. 247:

In page 173, lines 35 and 36, to delete “30 days” and substitute “56 days”.

These amendments relate to section 302 and the submission and notification of environmental impact assessment, EIA, reports and Natura impact statements. The first amendment simply seeks to extend the number of days that the EIA would be available for public display. Thirty days is a relatively short period. We are talking about coastal areas. The people interested might not necessarily be close to Dublin or have the ability to get to the relevant office in Dublin to access the assessments. Thirty days is too short.

Amendment No. 248 returns to the issue of ensuring that the application and further or additional information submitted on the application will be available on the application website and the website of the board. We discussed the issue earlier but we think this is particularly important given how significant EIAs and Natura impact statements are, and their centrality to the biodiversity and environmental protection of the marine that we have been raising throughout this debate.