Mr. Richard Cronin:

We can certainly make provision or reference to the need to restore, if necessary, but there are two pieces of information that I will give to the committee. Under the polluter pays principle and the environmental liability directive, if there is damage, it falls to the person who damages or pollutes to address it. These are public goods and if people make a private profit from them, they have an obligation to society in general. The second point is that all activity must comply with the environmental target set out in the marine strategy framework directive, which is to achieve good environmental status everywhere, all the time. There may be some discussion about lowering those standards for emergency designations for offshore wind under European regulations, but nevertheless, the general rule is that we have good quality, so damage is not acceptable. Sustainable use is required. Sustainable in this case means that we can restore it.