Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ó Broin. We now move to the Green Party slot, which I will take. First, I thank the Minister of State for bringing this matter to us. I understand that it dates back to 2010 and is something that has probably not been prioritised or high on the agenda. It is very important that the Minister of State has resurrected this issue and brought it here to us today, and that we can finally take our place at the table, as Mr. Moore has outlined there.

I reiterate what was said by Deputy Higgins, which is that the Irish delegation at COP15 in Montréal did a very good job on behalf of Ireland, especially in the context of marine protection, which is a part of our biodiversity and environment that is overlooked. We think that everything is fine out there and, obviously, we know well that our marine environment is under severe pressure. We have a significant sea area and many parts of it have been damaged.

The Minister of State will be aware that we are soon to commence pre-legislative scrutiny of the marine protected areas legislation. This is another very important item of legislation. We we look forward to welcoming the Minister of State and his officials back before the committee to discuss that matter.

Twenty EU countries have signed up to the Nagoya Protocol. If the protocol had not been put in place what damage would have been done in the context of genetics in itself and in the context of the relationship between genetics, biodiversity and protection? What drove the development of the protocol in the first instance?