Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It was interesting that Mr. Cronin mentioned the non-scientific data and the more qualitative data that would come from the statutory and non-statutory engagement, which a lot of the developers would also do. Through Wexford, Wicklow, Dún Laoghaire and Dublin at the moment a lot of the offshore developers are having those public meetings and are gathering those data, including what people’s costs are and what they are going to do.

When we were doing the Maritime Area Planning Act there was a marine activities register or a register that was going to be run by the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA - I am unsure of the correct term for it - whereby anybody seeking a MAC consent, or licensing, or doing anything out there, could access a register which would be open and accessible. As I understand it, the new planning and development Bill published today will have something similar such as an environmental portal where environmental impact studies and everything else would go. Will there be something similar for marine protected areas where a candidate would do the research and come back to outline what qualifies, and which would also contain all the processes and public consultation? Is there that kind of portal associated with the marine protected areas Bill?