Mr. Richard Cronin:

We will take note of the Senator's point about timing. We have identified sorting the timelines out as work that needs to be done on the general scheme, but I thank the Senator for bringing it to our attention as well.

Regarding participation, I will say something before I address the issue the Deputy raised about prescribed bodies. From the advice we have received from experts, our own professional expert experience and the feedback from the public consultation, consultation is seen by many as not being sufficient.

It is quite challenging to turn participation into something in legal language but it is essential in the development of the whole process for its success, not only in the identification of things to protect but also in the development of overall site designation. That involves not just experts but also communities, the bodies that were talked about, both prescribed and non-prescribed, industry and sectors, all of which will need to participate. The sectors told us in our consultation process that they had no problem with the policy or the objective but that they wanted to be involved. We will be able to include those bodies in the participatory process.